Nearly 1,000 private-pay MRIs in Sask. so far this year

Nearly 1,000 private MRIs have been performed since Saskatchewan introduced a private-pay system earlier this year.

According to the province, in a period ranging from February until the end of September 2016, 943 private MRI scans were performed in the province.Facilities conducting these scans are required to provide a second scan for free to someone on the public wait list.

• Private MRI service launches at 2 Saskatchewan clinics
• Expert says Sask MRI plan favours those who can pay

So far these facilities provided 757 people on the public wait list with MRIs, with another 186 scans being scheduled.

"As demand for MRI services continues to increase, our government has provided choice and added capacity for patients seeking a timely MRI in our province," Health Minister Jim Reiter said in a statement.

In a public-only system, the ministry said the scans would have cost $835,000.

The government said the new system is contributing to a reduction in the number of patients waiting for an MRI in southern Saskatchewan.

It said more than 730 fewer people were waiting for MRIs in July in Regina, Saskatoon and Moose Jaw than were waiting in March.

It said nearly 7,000 patients were waiting for an MRI in March this year. That number decreased by More than 730 people by the end of July.

The Opposition NDP has been critical of the system and leader Trent Wotherspoon said the government should ensure all residents have equal access to health services.

"We're very concerned," Wotherspoon said Thursday. "We have a thing in Saskatchewan that we're proud of called a health card. That's something that's used to access those services for all Saskatchewan people."