NWT looks at acquiring MRI scanner

YELLOWKNIFE, NWT – A feasibility study is under way to have an MRI machine installed at Yellowknife’s Stanton Territorial Hospital, health minister Lesa Semmler says. Without a machine in the territory, many in need of an MRI scan are sent to Alberta where the service is more widely available.

In the legislature, Monfwi MLA Jane Weyallon Armstrong asked Semmler how much it costs the territorial government to send patients to Alberta for diagnostic imaging, including the medical travel involved and payments to the province for the use of their facilities.

Semmler said she’d have to take the question away and report back.

“I know that we are doing a feasibility study right now, currently for MRI for Yellowknife, so I’m sure we have some of that data,” said Semmler.

She said the study is the first step in the process to help figure out what it might cost and what it might involve.

“MRI technology is essential for early detection and accurate diagnosis,” Weyallon Armstrong said. “It allows physicians to identify cancers, strokes, neurological disorders and internal injuries at early stages, when treatment is more effective and positive outcomes are stronger.”

Weyallon Armstrong said access to MRI services could help reduce healthcare costs in the long term by preventing complications that come with delayed care.

She argued that access to proper diagnostic imaging shouldn’t be considered a luxury in the NWT.

Elders in smaller communities, she said, may face additional barriers to accessing the care they need.

“Travel is physically demanding, especially for those managing chronic or serious illness,” said Weyallon Armstrong.

“If we are committed to protecting our residents and strengthening care in the North, essential diagnostic services – including MRI – must be a service provided within our own health system.”