Estevan mayor willing to work through ‘bureaucracy’ for MRI machine

The mayor of Estevan is hoping the provincial government will rethink the decision to decline a $2-million donation for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine for the community.

Roy Ludwig said he is no stranger to having dealt with bureaucracy over the years, and he and Estevan city council are going to be persistent to get the MRI scanner.

“It does take a while to work through the bureaucracy, and we are willing to do that and to be optimistic,” Ludwig said Monday. “Hopefully we will be able to get this machine as well.”

Elaine Walkom wanted to make the donation to remember her late husband and to help the people in the area who had supported her family’s business over the years. She originally made the offer of the donation in 2021, but was turned down after meeting with many provincial politicians.

Estevan sits in the southeast part of the province, but the nearest MRI machine is located in Regina, 200 kilometres to the northwest.

Saskatchewan currently has 12 MRI scanners scattered among Moose Jaw, Lloydminster, Regina and Saskatoon. The Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital recently fundraised $1 million for a portable pediatric MRI for its patients.

Ludwig said having an MRI machine in Estevan’s St. Joseph’s Hospital would cut down on travel times for residents across the southeast portion of the province.

“People would have the opportunity to come here rather than travel all the way to Regina,” said Ludwig. “It would save them time travelling (and) save them some time on the roads if they are elderly.”

Ludwig said there has been interest from the communities in the surrounding area about bringing an MRI machine to Estevan, including from Saskatchewan Party MLA Lori Carr.

“The community is very supportive, and all our surrounding RMs, and we appreciate that. (They) have all come to the table with support,” Ludwig said. “So you’ve got the whole southeast portion of the province which is behind this, which is great to see.”

St. Joseph’s Hospital currently operates a CT scanner. Ludwig said he is hopeful that some extra training can be provided to staff to be able to operate an MRI machine.

Wait times for MRIs in the province for the first quarter of 2023 sat at 246 days.

“Not only the time frame, but with another MRI would shorten the waiting list,” said Ludwig. “There would be a few opportunities for people on our side of the province to get quicker MRIs.”