The Government of Saskatchewan is accepting a $2 million donation to fund MRI services in Estevan after initially saying no.In March of 2023, Elaine Walkom offered a $2 million donation to buy a magnetic resonance imaging device for St. Joseph’s Hospital and train two technicians, only to be refused.Last September, Walkom received a letter from then-Health Minister Paul Merriman to thank her for her generous offer but said there were “no immediate plans to expand MRI services” in Estevan."I couldn't believe that they were turning down that kind of money, with a 'shut the door in my face and go away' sort of thing," Walkom told the CBC.Finally, that door has opened.“We have given the green light for that project to proceed,” Health Minister Everett Hindley told reporters at the legislature on Monday.“We took a look at that particular community, the catchment area that it serves, the number of people that are on a waiting list in southeast Saskatchewan and here we had an opportunity to move forward on something that's a bit unique. So we're taking that opportunity to do so."Hindley said Walkom's offer to donate "helped start" the process but moving ahead took careful consideration."You have to make sure they have the staffing to operate these machines," Hindley said."These machines don't last forever, either. Sometimes they need to be replaced in 10 or 12 years. And, so we want to ensure that we're thinking for the long term, who pays for that?"According to the provincial government, during the last three months of 2023, nine of ten patients received an MRI within 271 days, in contrast to CT scan recipients who only had to wait 99 days. Still, the MRI waitlist decreased by 531 patients from the previous quarter.NDP Critic for Rural and Remote Health Jared Clarke told reporters the MRI donation offer had broad local support and the "common sense solution" should have been accepted sooner.“The Sask Party had dragged their feet on this. This should have been a no-brainer,” Clarke said.“Here is an opportunity to get an MRI in an area of this province that is underserviced. Folks who live in the Estevan area or in the region have to drive to Regina to get care. This is again an opportunity to provide health care when and where people need it.”It is not yet known when the MRI will come online, but Hindley said the donation has already made the government consider how to better any similar donations in the future.“It does require us to look at what is the existing criteria. How do we adapt so that we can accept these sorts of things to make sure that it's a benefit for everyone?” Hindley said.An MRI takes internal images of the human body, including blood vessels, muscles, bones and organs. The province is expanding its MRI capacity through a mobile MRI deployed in Regina and placing another one in Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert following renovations.Buffalo Party leader Phil Zajac, who lives in Estevan, called out the refused MRI donation in an email to party supporters last December and said his party was pursuing the issue."The province claimed that for our MRI we would have to raise $6.2 million to complete the project in Estevan. When reviewing the contract, the numbers were so inflated it was ridiculous. $350,000 marked for the project manager! That was just one of about ten numbers that were way out of line," the email claimed."Three weeks later they claimed they had found a mobile MRI solution for Regina."In a press release issued December 14 last year, the province said the mobile MRI would be "temporarily deployed in Regina." The installation and two-year lease would cost taxpayers $2.4 million and do 5,000 scans, beginning summer 2024.
