Health Minister Deb Matthews was in Cambridge on Thursday to announce that Cambridge Memorial Hospital (CMH) has approval for a new MRI machine, but it's not the announcement that was expected.
The hospital's foundation will need to raise $4 million to pay for the new scanner, but Matthews says the ministry will provide the hospital with nearly $800,000 annually to operate it.
CMH says the radiation-free technology will be used on over 3,300 patient annually, cutting down wait times and reducing the need for residents to go to nearby hospitals for scans.
While the hospital's grant for the MRI machine was one of the many requests made to the province, many had hoped the minster would announce a timeline and funds for a decade-old expansion plan.
Former CMH Board Chair John Bell is feeling less than hopeful now, "I guess I've given up hoping for the big announcement. One voice, one vision was ten years ago now."
But Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig vows to continue the fight, "I certainly, along with the council, will discuss the issue of expansion of the hospital and try to pressure the government into getting it done this year."
Matthews says the hospital may get its answer on the expansion question in a few months after the ministry decides on its infrastructure spending plan.
For now, the hospital's foundation is happy to receive the grant and is starting a campaign to raise the $4 million needed to purchase the machine.
