Saskatchewan reached a major milestone in 2024–25 by delivering the highest-ever volume of CT and MRI scans in a single year, with over 250,000 exams completed across the province.
According to the province, 187,163 CT exams and 63,299 MRI exams were performed during the fiscal year, an increase of nine per cent compared to 2023–24. More than 206,000 patients received diagnostic imaging, with health officials crediting increased investment and expanded service delivery for the boost.
Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said the results demonstrate the province's commitment to improving diagnostic care.
“Saskatchewan's steady investment in enhancing this critical service area is resulting in positive outcomes for patient care, with the highest-ever volumes of MRIs and CT scans performed and faster access to these important diagnostic tests,” Cockrill said. “Investing in additional imaging capacity and capital equipment has increased access and reduced wait times for these procedures.”
The latest report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) backs that claim, showing Saskatchewan had the shortest 90th percentile CT wait times in the country and the third lowest for MRI scans.
Improvements stem from a range of targeted initiatives. Since 2016, the province has expanded CT services to smaller centres like Estevan and Melfort, and added MRI capacity in Moose Jaw. Community-based imaging clinics in Regina and Saskatoon have provided tens of thousands of exams. Over the past five years, six CT scanners and one MRI unit have been replaced.
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Other investments include a new mobile MRI scanner at Regina General Hospital in 2024 and support for the Swoop Portable MRI scanner, donated by the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Saskatchewan’s Patients’ Choice legislation, passed in 2016, allows for private-pay MRI and CT services under a two-for-one policy: for every privately paid scan, providers must perform a second scan for someone on the public waitlist. Officials say this policy alone has contributed more than 20,900 MRI scans and over 1,700 CT scans at no added cost to the public system.
“Passing legislation for private-pay MRI and CT services has contributed to health system capacity,” Cockrill said. “This unique-to-Saskatchewan, two-for-one policy approach requires private providers to perform a second scan at no charge for a patient on the public waitlist.”
Looking ahead, the province has committed an additional $6 million in the 2025–26 budget to support more than 10,000 new diagnostic imaging procedures, including CT, MRI, and PET scans.
“As we enhance the investment in medical imaging services, the Saskatchewan Health Authority remains focused on providing timely access to high quality care as close to home as possible for people across Saskatchewan,” said Richard Dagenais, Executive Director of Medical Imaging. “None of this work would be possible without the vital support and investments from the Ministry of Health and our valued Foundation partners. We are only able to provide timely access to medical imaging through the exceptional commitment of our team of technologists, nurses, radiologists, and others, who work tirelessly every day to provide high-quality care to patients across the province.”
To further strengthen reliability of diagnostic services, the province will spend more than $10 million this year on capital upgrades, including replacing or retrofitting key imaging equipment. Planned upgrades include:
- Replacement of both an MRI and CT scanner at Regina General Hospital
- Replacement of a CT scanner and retrofit of an MRI scanner at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon
- Equipment replacements in several rural health facilities
Provincial officials say these efforts are aimed at meeting growing demand while ensuring that patients continue to receive timely, high-quality diagnostic care.