Gates calls on province to act quickly on MRI
Niagara Health president also says need is ‘urgent’ after four-year wait
Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates is urging the provincial health minister to act quickly on Niagara Health’s “urgent” request to fund a third MRI machine operating 16 hours a day, seven days a week.
“This request comes from the fact that Niagara’s MRI wait time has severely increased and is now not in a position (to) reasonably accommodate the residents of Niagara’s immediate medical needs, leaving residents with an unreasonable wait as their health deteriorates,” he wrote, in a letter dated Oct. 14.
Gates said in 2016, the legislature unanimously adopted his motion to provide funding to clear Niagara’s MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) backlog.
He said there are currently only two machines that service Niagara’s population of 450,000.
“In 2016, the average wait time for an MRI was 134 days. As of January 2020, the average wait time for P4 patients had increased to 135 days,” he said.
“To compound matters, the pause in providing non-urgent MRIS due to the pandemic has meant that as of August 20, the wait list is now 8,652 patients or an average of 360 days.
“Simply put, residents cannot wait this long for what could be potentially life-saving information. Beyond the life-saving medical information this can provide, it would alleviate the stress that many residents go through while waiting for the outcome of these tests.”
Gates said he learned Niagara Health reached out to the Ministry of Health “more than once” with the request for operational funding, “but has yet to receive a definitive answer.”
“While we understand the stress this pandemic has put on our health-care system, we must ensure that our local health agencies are given the responses they need in an appropriate time frame,” he said.
“A lack of correspondence from your ministry means that the health agency is unaware if this request has been accepted or denied and cannot plan for next steps. Recognizing this serious issue, the community has even raised the funds itself to purchase the new MRI unit but given the lack of commitment to operational funding, the unit
has yet to be purchased or commissioned.”
In the letter, Gates requested Health Minister Christine Elliott “urgently” review Niagara Health’s business case for a third MRI machine and approve funding “for the hours to get this backlog under control.”
Questions emailed to Elliott’s and the ministry’s offices were not responded to.
In an email statement, Niagara Health president Lynn Guerriero said they “appreciate” Gates raising the issue with Elliott.
“MPP Gates has been a strong partner of Niagara Health and advocate for enhanced health care in the region,” Guerriero said.
Guerriero said Niagara Health has seen a “steady” rise in demand for MRI scans in recent years, with the addition of new regional health-care services. MRI tests are “increasingly” used more by physicians to diagnose their patients, she added.
“The upgraded technology would enhance the quality of the imaging, shorten the turnaround time for patients to receive results and begin treatment, reduce wait times and eliminate the need for some of our cancer patients to leave the region to access more advanced MRI technology.
“A third MRI would also provide support if one of our other units needed servicing or maintenance work.”
Niagara Health currently operates two MRI machines, one each at its Niagara Falls and St. Catharines hospitals.
“In contrast, there are eight MRIS in Hamilton to serve the Hamilton area, which has approximately the same population as Niagara,” said Guerriero.
“Our wait list for MRI scans has grown to approximately 360 days because of the significant increase in demand and the impact of pausing non-urgent scans during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
She said Niagara Health first identified the need for a third MRI in 2013.
In 2018, the hospital system submitted a formal request to the ministry for $1.5 million annually in funding, which would cover staffing and other costs to operate the MRI machine 16 hours a day, seven days a week.
“Our community, through Niagara Health Foundation, has already raised $3.4 million to purchase the unit, and Niagara Health is committed to covering the costs for renovations needed to house a third MRI, which would be located at our St. Catharines site.”