Middlesex Hospital Alliance gets $800K from province to operate first-ever MRI machine

Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital (SMGH) is getting its first magnetic resonance imaging machine (MRI) with operational funding from the provincial government.

On Friday, MPP Monte McNaughton announced that the Ontario government is investing $800,000 for Middlesex Hospital Alliance, which oversees the hospital in Strathroy and Four Counties Health Services in Newbury.

“We heard today from a healthcare profession standpoint, the doctors and specialists want to ensure their patients get results faster so having an MRI machine is going to do just that,” said McNaughton who represents the riding of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, and serves as Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills.

The province is also investing over $20 million that will go towards supporting the operations of 27 new MRI machines in hospitals across Ontario.

“We certainly want to ensure that in every region of the province, you're getting access to vital health care that families deserve,” said McNaughton.

Typically patients in need of an MRI scan will have to visit surrounding hospitals in London and Sarnia, potentially leading to even longer wait times.

“This MRI machine is the gold standard and it will not only serve our local patients but alleviate the wait times from our area partners as well,” said Catherine Osbourne, Middlesex Hospital Alliance board chair.

An MRI can see internal tissues in the body which can help detect diseases and help treat injuries. “This will help doctors find specific treatments for patients in less time,” the board said in a statement.

“For patients being assessed for a possible cancer diagnosis, MRI can eliminate the need for continual follow-up of non-cancer abnormalities, reducing worry and reducing time off work for further tests,” statement read.

Provincial funding will cover the MRI’s operational expenses, however, Osbourne said the board plans to use fundraising efforts to help cover the cost of the MRI itself.

The machine could cost up to $2.5 million and take at least two years to be placed at the hospital, according to Osbourne.

“We are going to work with our foundation partners to figure out exactly how we will raise that money, it's probably close to $6 million that we will be looking at to bring the machine here,” she said.