“This is just ridiculous. Just get this done.” That’s the reaction from NDP Leader Carla Beck, after a resident offered to donate $2 million to the province for an MRI scanner in Estevan last March. Her donation was declined. Beck says a local citizen stepped up to donate and Premier Scott Moe and his Ministers got in the way.

A letter from the then Health Minister, Paul Merriman in response to a letter from the RM of Browning about the offer, states there are several factors that determine where a potential MRI should be located including population, service volumes, staffing and wait times. Beck states that an MRI only takes two technicians to run it, so staffing shouldn’t be much of an issue.

Rural and Remote Health Critic Matt Love notes that this comes at a time when wait lists are growing because of staff shortages. He says, “This is a Sask Party government and Premier who have caught out local voices from healthcare.”