Flin Flon MLA Tom Lindsey wants the PC government to enhance diagnostic services in northern Manitoba by bringing an MRI machine to the Flin Flon General Hospital.
“We’re going to have a new ER, so let’s put new diagnostic equipment in so we can start attracting people to come to Flin Flon rather than us having to go somewhere else,” he said, referring to ongoing construction of a new, much larger emergency department.
Lindsey said an MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging machine, could make Flin Flon a regional destination for patients.
“For somebody from Snow Lake to go to Winnipeg [for an MRI] is going to be a lot more of a challenge than it is for them to come to Flin Flon,” he said. “So all of those communities kind of in that [region], that would make it more cost-effective. Then if we can get different groups to help share in the costing, maybe it’s a possibility. You never know if you don’t try.”
In terms of funding, Lindsey suggested the Saskatchewan government and communities in Saskatchewan that rely on the Flin Flon hospital be asked to provide support.
“If we can figure out how to do some cost-sharing between those governments, those communities, some of the nearby bands, [they] can all help share that cost and enjoy the benefit of [the MRI],” he said.
Lindsey added that an MRI is one of the potential areas of cross-border cooperation he plans to discuss with Doyle Vermette, MLA of northeastern Saskatchewan’s Cumberland constituency.
Asked whether an MRI is in the cards for Flin Flon, a Manitoba government spokesperson said the province is reviewing capital commitments as part of a financial review.
“We recognize that these services can have a positive impact on rural and northern communities,” the spokesperson told The Reminder, “but we need to take a collaborative provincewide approach to addressing the many issues of deficiency in health care after the 17 years of neglect by the former government.”
Northern Manitoba does not have an MRI. The machines are used to produce detailed images of organs and tissues within the body so that abnormalities may be detected and diagnosed.
According to the Northern Health Region, the first half of 2016 saw 470 MRI scans performed on patients who live in the region: 278 from Thompson, 100 from Flin Flon and 92 from The Pas. These figures do not include Saskatchewan usage.
Used MRI machines can cost between
US$150,000 and US$1.2 million on the low end, with new higher-end units selling for as much as US$3 million, according to a 2014 Time magazine article.
There are currently 11 MRI machines operating in Manitoba, according to the province. Nine machines are in Winnipeg, with one each in Brandon and Winkler. The most recent machine began operating at Winnipeg’s Grace General Hospital in April.
Another two MRI machines are currently under construction and will begin operating in Dauphin and Selkirk in 2017, the province said. Later in 2016, a pediatric MRI scanner is expected to be operational in Winnipeg.
Lindsey spoke about the need for an MRI on the campaign trail earlier this year, saying he had talked then-premier
Greg Selinger about the idea.
“It’s almost like an industry that we can grow here in Flin Flon, that we can start attracting people if we have advanced technology in our hospital, that doctors will want to come here and stay here,” Lindsey told The Reminder on April 19, the night he was elected MLA.
