Kitchener-Waterloo hospitals looking to expand MRI capacity

Medical imaging staff at Grand River and St. Mary’s General Hospitals say there is a desperate need for more magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines.

Patients in Kitchener-Waterloo needing diagnostic scans are being waitlisted behind thousands of people, delaying any sort of diagnosis.

“If they can’t get a diagnosis, they can’t really start their treatment that they need, so their healthcare journey can’t begin,” said Dr. Derek Karanwal, joint chief and medical director of medical imaging at St. Mary's General and Grand River Hospitals.

(Submitted/Brendan Cook, St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation)

Grand River Hospital has two MRI machines. One is an older machine that will soon be taken out of commission for months and rebuilt. The other is a new one that was only added this year.

However, there are no MRI machines at St. Mary’s General Hospital.

As a result, the pair of hospitals have partnered in a fundraising campaign aimed at ramping up MRI resources.

“It’s going to be a significant game changer for our patients,” said Karanwal.

About $4.5 million has already been raised and another $5.5 million is needed. About $3.2 million will go toward an entirely new machine at St. Mary’s. The rest will be for renovation costs and upgrading the old machine at Grand River.

“It will also reduce the strain on existing diagnostic modalities across the region," said Karanwal in a media release.

Waterloo resident Steve Schatz has been waiting for an MRI since November. (Spencer Turcotte/CTV Kitchener)

The effort is welcome news for Waterloo resident Steve Schatz who has been trying to get an MRI at Grand River Hospital since November.

“The doctor thinks there is some nerve damage going into my leg,” said Schatz. “Now I can barely walk half a kilometer.”

Schatz said he thought the hospital had forgotten about his MRI until last week, when he was told anyone needing a non-critical MRI might have to wait up to a year.

“You start to lose faith,” he said.

But Schatz said that faith has started to return after hearing about the funding announcement.

“[I hope] that I can get it done and get out and start enjoying life a little bit more,” he said.

(Spencer Turcotte/CTV Kitchener)