A new Computed Tomography (CT) scanner is now serving patients at Melfort Hospital.
First announced in 2020, the $2.25 million project to bring a CT scanner to Melfort is now complete and began serving patients on Aug, 23.
Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors, and Rural and Remote Health Minister Everett Hindley joined Melfort MLA Todd Goudy, Saskatchewan Health Authority representatives, local officials, physicians and staff at Melfort Hospital to mark the occasion on Sept. 2 to officially announce the opening.
“We are committed to providing timely, sustainable access to medical imaging services for Saskatchewan residents closer to home,” Hindley said in a release
“This new CT scanner in Melfort will contribute to reducing wait times for this important diagnostic service for patients in the entire northern half of the province.”
Melfort residents typically travelled to Prince Albert or Saskatoon for CT services.
“We in the community of Melfort have been looking forward to this day,” MLA for Melfort Todd Goudy said.
“This investment will help improve healthcare for people in Melfort along with all of northern Saskatchewan.”
CT services operating at full capacity in Melfort will also contribute to reducing the backlog of patients resulting from the COVID-19 disruption, and meet increasing demand for CT services across the province.
“This is an investment in patients requiring CT services that benefits not only those in the Melfort area, but the entire province, by increasing our capacity to provide this specialized medical imaging service,” Saskatchewan Health Authority Executive Director Medical Imaging Bryan Witt said.
“I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Ministry of Health for their commitment to investing in medical imaging and in helping us serve the patients and families requiring these specialized services throughout Saskatchewan.”
Saskatchewan has seen a growing number of patients referred for CT services in recent years, resulting in the need for increased capacity. Almost 117,000 patients received a CT scan in 2020-21.
In 2020-21 the provincial government provided $2.25 million for the purchase of a new CT scanner in Melfort, renovations at the Melfort Hospital Medical Imaging Department and operational costs. The 2021-22 provincial budget included an additional $950,000 in operating funding (for a total of $1.2 million annually) for the Melfort CT scanner.
CT exams provide highly-advanced diagnostic images, showing multiple detailed, cross-sectional views of bones, blood vessels and soft tissues inside the body to detect the extent of injuries, disease, blood clots and other abnormalities.
