The ribbon was cut on the newly installed CT scanner at the Melfort Hospital on Thursday afternoon. (Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW Staff)

By Angie Rolheiser

Melfort CT Scanner

Melfort Hospital now home to CT scanner

Sep 2, 2021 | 5:52 PM

After a decade of advocating and planning, the Melfort Hospital is now home to a Computed Tomography (CT) scanner.

The $2.25 million project was promised to the region in 2010 by the provincial government.

Rural and Remote Health Minister Everett Hindley was on hand at the hospital this afternoon to officially cut the ribbon.

“This is something that has always been a priority to the Saskatchewan Government,” Hindley said. “We are glad to be able to be here, not only to cut the ribbon but know that it is accepting patients as we speak.”

In a previous update, the CT scanner was expected to be installed by March 2021.

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According to Hindley, on top of the usual delay’s that come with prioritizing equipment needs province-wide, the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t speed things up.

“To provide these diagnostic services for people closer to home so they don’t have to spend as much time on the highway and timely access to healthcare is what is truly important to people in this area,” Hindley said. “I just want to thank everyone for all of their advocacy effort to make this happen.”

The $2.25 million commitment from the provincial government in 2020-21 included the CT scanner and renovations in the medical imaging department at the Melfort Hospital, as well as operating costs. The 2021-22 provincial budget included an additional $950,000 in operating funding for the project.

Municipal Advocacy Committee member Rod Gantefoer was also at the ceremony. Gantefoer’s involvement in the project dates back to his time as Melfort Member of the Legislative Assembly, when discussions first began.

Having the CT scanner in the Melfort hospital is of benefit to the entire northeast as well as the rest of the province.

“People from this area are being serviced but also people from farther away who don’t want to wait in Prince Albert, for example,” Gantefoer said. “You’re going to get people from the broader area coming here.”

Saskatchewan Health Authority executive director of Medical Imaging Bryan Witt reiterated the significant difference this equipment will make provincially.

“With their being many people that would travel to Prince Albert and Saskatoon from this area that creates access for patients within those scanners,” Witt said. “That is going to reduce wait times for those people that utilize those scanners.”

The plan is to have 10 to 15 patients utilizing the Melfort CT scanner per day.

“We are now proactively looking out to P.A. and Saskatoon for patients who have addresses in this area,” Witt said. “We are happy to tell people that we can help them right here at home.”

There are 15 other operational CT scanner’s in the province including Prince Albert, Saskatoon, Regina, Lloydminster, Swift Current, Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Yorkton, and Estevan.

The CT scanner in Melfort began serving patients on Aug. 23, providing patients with highly advanced diagnostic images.

“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 in Melfort along with all of Northern Saskatchewan.”

Saskatchewan has seen an increase in patients referred for CT services in recent years with almost 117,000 patients receiving a CT scan in 2020-21.

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angie.rolheiser@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser