Health Minister Jason Copping said $12 million in funding will allow for more medical imaging services throughout the province, April 18, 2023. (Photo: Government of Alberta)

By Christian Oldale

Provincial government announces funding to increase access to CT and MRI scans

Apr 18, 2023 | 2:18 PM

EDMONTON, AB – The provincial government is providing $12 million in funding to expand capacity for patients waiting for medical imaging.

In a news release, the province said that the average patient wait times for both CT and MRI scans have dropped despite a sharp increase in demand, but they are focusing on making sure those times continue to decrease.

The funding allotted in Budget 2023 means that Alberta Health Services (AHS) will be able to perform 41,000 more CT scans, for an annual total of 540,000. The government also said that 12,000 more MRI scans, for an annual total of 255,000.

Jason Copping, Minister of Health, said, “Albertans deserve appropriate access to scans when they need them, and government has made this a priority. Working together with AHS and other community partners, we are putting needed resources in place to further drive down wait times and improve diagnostic imaging services.”

AHS has also committed to recruiting new staff to perform additional CT and MRI scans in AHS facilities.

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Mauro Chies, president and CEO of AHS, said, “We appreciate the investment, knowing it supports the work of our teams to increase the number of scans possible, and therefore, the number of Albertans served.”

According to the release, the number of Albertans waiting for a CT scan has decreased by 23 per cent and wait times for an MRI have decreased by 19 per cent since early 2020.

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