Central and northern Saskatchewan residents will have improved access to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) services this Summer.

Announced Wednesday afternoon (February 19th, 2020), Mayfair Diagnostics were awarded a contract by the Saskatchewan Health Authority to deliver publicly funded, community based MRI services in Saskatoon.

With services expected to begin in Saskatoon in August 2020, Mayfair Diagnostics will provide a minimum of 4,500 exams per year in Saskatoon while continuing MRI services in Regina.

Health Minister Jim Reiter spoke on the need for MRI’s in Saskatoon.

“In the last 3 years we’ve increased capacity for MRI’s by about 11% but the demand, the referrals, has increased by 18%. So our wait lists have gotten longer, which obviously we don’t want to see happen, we need to rectify that, so we think this is a significant step forward.”

Reiter also says MRI’s are a new standard of care.

“Plus our population is growing, plus our population is aging. So that demographic, the fact that people are older now, tends to lend itself to more need for health care . When you weigh all those things, it’s important that you increase capacity and that’s what this announcement is all about.”

There is a growing need for MRI’s Saskatchewan with patients increasing to approximately 46,000 in 2019, up from 39,000 in 2016.

Budgeting for MRI services has increased 68 percent since 2007 with the Saskatchewan Health authority allotting approximately $141.4 million in 2019-20.

Jim Reiter was joined by delegates the Saskatchewan Health Authority and Mayfair Diagnostics in their new building which is just across the street from St. Paul’s Hospital.