On the heels of my posts above........ the Ontario government out today with a new call for non-hospital delivered CT/MRI services:
news.ontario.ca
In the press release above, they set a goal of getting everyone a scan within 28 days (the medically recommended worst-case for the least urgent patient). That would be something, as no Ontario government has ever achieved that.
I'm not utterly opposed to doing low-risk scanning procedures outside of hospitals, I have some greater issue w/picking off surgeries, as this can impact hospital finances, and capabilities/expertise, and also burden hospitals with only the more complex cases.
I do, have a concern there though........
1) There is an outstanding report going back years that suggests far more hospitals in Ontario should have PET Scanners, while the current has added/will add a few (notably, Barrie, Newmarket and Durham Region), there still isn't even one PET Scanner in Scarborough, none in Brampton either or in K-W. Some pretty substantial gaps.
2) Virtually every hospital, all but the very smallest really need a CT Scanner these days, its essential medicine for ascertaining whether a person is having a stroke and what kind and how to treat it.
The need for the scan is very time-sensitive and not something you want to see delayed by the need to transfer a patient to another facility. The absence of CT scanners in many smaller/rural hospitals impacts their ability to attract and retain medical staff.
Again, I think I should acknowledge this government has added additional small hospitals with CT Scanners, but there's probably another 2 dozen that need that capability.