MRI wait times among the longest in the province for London, Ont. area patients
Newly released provincial data shows London and area hospitals have some of the longest wait times in the province to receive an MRI scan.
That’s a major concern, according to health watchdog Ontario Health Coalition. London representative Peter Bergmanis said the long waits can take a toll on patients.
“Well I would think I’d be very stressed out and I also wouldn’t want to have that worry on top of what a diagnosis could be,” said Bergmanis.
According to the data from Ontario Health, as of January 2024, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) University Campus had an average wait of 230 days for an MRI scan for the lowest priority patients.
Overall, it only met its MRI target times 16 per cent of the time.
The wait at LHSC Victoria was 218 days with 21 per cent of patients receiving scans within the target time. While at St. Joseph’s Health Care the wait was 92 days, but only 13 per cent of patients received scans on time.
The provincial average was 91 days, with 31 per cent on time.
LHSC Clinical Diagnostics Executive John French said he’s hoping the long waits will become a thing of the past as new MRI machines have recently been installed, and new staff have been trained.
“This is an area of concern for us,” said French. “Currently we’re trying to improve it. And the means to improve it is by improving the technology, the equipment that we have, and making sure we have the adequate staffing to operate that equipment.”
OPSEU 106 President Steve McCaw, who represents MRI technologist among other health care staff, said the province only funds so many hours per week for MRI scans, so the machines sit for several hours every week without getting used.
“So to me, there’s still the capacity to staff these scanners to run more hours if the provincial funding allowed them to do so,” said McCaw.
At Stratford General Hospital, just 16 per cent of patients received an MRI scan within the target time, with an average wait for low priority patients of 147 days.
Woodstock General has an average wait of 176 days with 17 per cent of patients scanned within target time.
MRI wait time data was not available for hospitals in Sarnia Lambton, Chatham-Kent, or Windsor, which were all targeted in a major cyber attack last year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
AS IT HAPPENED Wildfire reaches Jasper Wednesday night, causes 'significant loss'
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park reached the townsite Wednesday night and caused 'significant loss.'
Alberta calls in army to assist with wildfire situation
Alberta has called in the Canadian Armed Forces to help assist with the worsening wildfire situation in the province.
Biden explains why he ended re-election bid in Oval Office address
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Norad intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in apparent first
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
2 Canadians being 'sent home immediately,' removed from Olympic team after drone incident
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
An unwelcome attendee has joined the Paris Olympic Games: COVID-19
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Vacations, meals, booze: Contractor used $100K of charity's money for personal expenses, B.C. court finds
A B.C. man who was hired to help a non-profit build a food hub but instead spent the money on personal expenses – including travel, restaurants, booze and cannabis – has been ordered to pay more than $120,000 in damages.
Male, female killed, 2 others injured in 'gun battle' outside Toronto plaza: police
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.