The Government of Saskatchewan has rejected a $2 million donation to fund the installation of a new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Estevan in the southeastern part of the province.

Last March, Estevan businesswoman Elaine Walkom suggested in a letter to then-Health Minister Paul Merriman that they purchase the device and train two technicians to operate it at Saint Joseph Hospital in Estevan.

According to the provincial government, Saskatchewan has 12 devicesMRIThe closest one to Estevan is in Regina, 185 km from the community.

In an email to CBC/Radio-Canada, the Ministry of Health thanks Ms. Walkom for her offer and notes: Developing a detailed plan is critical to determining whether and how a new health service can be sustained and accessible over the long term.

In several letters to CBC/Radio-Canada Ms. Walkom says this proposal is a way to do her part for the community where she and her late husband thrived.

For his part, Paul Merriman replied that the province takes into account various elements, including the volume of services, demographics, human resources, waiting times, as well as the funding required to operate a device. MRIin determining the appropriate location for the latter.

I encourage you to work with St. Joseph Hospital Foundation in Estevan to find out how they can use your generous donation.states Mr. Merriman in a letter to Ms. Walkom in May 2023.

Following Elaine Walkom’s suggestion, Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig expressed his feelings Enthusiasm for the city and all the rural communities surrounding it.

Roy Ludwig says he will take steps to change the province’s decision and seek support from the hospital’s board.

The closer the devices are to the people who need them, the shorter the travel time and the faster the testing, the more we see this as an advantageadds Roy Ludwig.

For its part, the rural community of Browning, near Estevan, sent a letter to Paul Merriman in August advocating for the device to be introduced MRI at Saint Joseph Hospital.

We cannot understand the decision of the Ministry of Health. […] Not just the donation [de Mme Walkom] would be enough to provide the service, but it would also be in a region of the province that desperately needs better health care.MRIShe says.

Between April 2023 and June 2023, most patients in Saskatchewan waited up to 246 days for a test MRIaccording to data published on the province’s website (in English). (New window)

The government is separatedsaid the NDP

At a press conference on Tuesday, the official opposition expressed disappointment with the province’s decision to reject Elaine Walkom’s offer.

Matt Love, the New Democratic Party’s rural and remote health critic in Saskatchewan, says this response shows what the province is like separated Reality.

Premier Scott Moe should see things as they are says opposition leader Carla Beck.

I am very curious to hear the Prime Minister and his ministers explain why there is absolutely nothing they can do when someone suggests investing their own money to buy a deviceMRI.

With information from Dayne Patterson