Picture of health: New MRI for hospital
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/02/2017 (3368 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Brandon Regional Health Centre will be receiving more than $3.4 million from the Manitoba government to install a new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced on Tuesday.
The current scanner — which performed 8,013 scans in the 2015-16 fiscal year, according to the Manitoba Wait Time Information website — is more than 10 years old and needs to be repaired frequently. The new scanner will be larger, reducing problems with claustrophobia for patients and allowing technologists to scan multiple body areas without having to move or reposition the patient.
Scans will be also be able to be done quicker, meaning more patients can be scanned in one day, according to Dr. Shaun Gauthier, vice-president of medical and diagnostic services at Prairie Mountain Health.
The province sets aside funds every year to maintain buildings and equipment in the health care system, according to a provincial spokesperson. The request for this project was approved in late 2016.
The province sets aside funds every year to maintain buildings and equipment in the health care system, according to a provincial spokesperson. The request for this project was approved in late 2016.
“Investments in replacement equipment ensure patients have access to the best possible diagnostic care,” Goertzen said in a statement. “Once installed, the new equipment will make a real difference for patients in Brandon and the surrounding area.”
Total costs for the project include $2.9 million in equipment costs and nearly $490,000 in capital construction costs for the installation.
A temporary mobile MRI unit will be on site near the end of March to continue scanning patients while construction and installation of the new unit takes place. Installation is expected to begin in April and be completed later this summer, the minister noted.
MRI scanners produce images of all areas of the body and commonly include images of the brain and spinal cord, muscles, bones, connective tissue, organs such as the liver, kidneys and heart, breast, prostate and blood vessels.
As of February, there are 11 MRI machines operating in Manitoba — nine in Winnipeg, one in Brandon and one in Winkler.
The Brandon scanner has performed more than 6,200 scans during the 2016-17 fiscal year, which runs from April to March. Brandon’s MRI has the lowest wait time at 11 weeks. Winkler is second at 15 weeks, while the Winnipeg machines range in wait times from 16 weeks to 31 weeks.
Two additional MRI machines — one in Selkirk and one at the Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg — are expected to begin providing services later in 2017.
» edebooy@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @erindebooy