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
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
It's 30 years since apartheid ended. South Africa's celebrations are set against growing discontent
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.