(File photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Cam Lee

CT Scanner Coming to Melfort

Melfort getting CT Scanner after decade-long wait

Mar 18, 2020 | 3:32 PM

Melfort is getting their CT Scanner.

After a promise made a decade ago, the Saskatchewan Party government made the announcement in today’s pared-down expense budget, which outlines the province’s spending plans for 2020-2021.

The $2 million toward Melfort’s CT Scanner is part of the $4 million set aside by the province for diagnostic imaging equipment.

“It was important for the government to provide the funding for the CT Scanner in Melfort,” Finance Minister Donna Harpauer told northeastNOW.

Mayor Rick Lang was pleased to hear the news.

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“From the city’s perspective, we’re happy to hear that announcement,” Lang said. “Certainly this is something that goes beyond just the city of Melfort because this is a service that is going to be applicable to the entire northeast region.”

Lang said the CT Scanner would shorten wait times, and reduce the travel times of many in the area that need the service.

“I see this as a win for the entire northeast,” Lang said. “It’s going to be located in the city of Melfort but it’s certainly something that will be applicable for the entire northeast, and will be a benefit to the entire northeast.”

Lang said Melfort is the diagnostic centre in the northeast, and a CT Scanner is a basic piece of equipment a centre like Melfort should have.

He said residents in a community like Hudson Bay have a chance to shorten their travel time by as much as two hours with a CT Scanner in Melfort. Those residents currently have to travel to either Yorkton, Prince Albert, or Saskatoon for service.

The city has lobbied for the CT Scanner since the promise was made by the provincial government in 2010. Lang said the government never wavered from keeping the promise, and he’s thankful that it has come to fruition.

Lang said a number of people have helped keep the issue on the front burner, including former MLA and Finance Minister Rod Gantefoer, former mayor and MLA Kevin Phillips, and current MLA Todd Goudy. He also lauded the feedback from medical professionals throughout the northeast, and the support letters from throughout the region.

“To get the results based on all of the input that we were able to receive shows a true partnership in the region,” Lang said.

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cam.lee@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @camlee1974