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PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY March 16 - 31, 2018
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Thousands more MRI exams to benefit British Columbians
SURREY – To give people faster
access to the diagnoses and care they
need, Adrian Dix, Minister of Health,
has announced that 37,000 more
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
exams will be done throughout the
province by the end of March 2019,
compared to the previous year.
Under the B.C. Surgical and
Diagnostic Strategy, 225,000 MRI
exams will be completed in 2018-19,
up from 188,000 in 2017-18. To meet
these ambitious targets, $11 million
is being made available in the public
health-care system to add resources
and capacity.
“This is a bold step to dramatically
increase the number of MRI exams
being done in B.C., and this coming
year alone, the increase will be close
to 20%,” said Dix. “We are delivering
on our promise to restore services and
find capacity in our public health-care
system so that British Columbians
don’t have to wait months and months
for prescribed exams. We know
that by rebuilding and expanding
capacity in the public system, we will
improve access to care and patient
outcomes.”
Overall wait times for scheduled
MRI exams in British Columbia are long,
with 50% of patients waiting more than
41 days, and 10% of patients waiting
more than 199 days. At the end of
2016-17, B.C.’s per capita rate for MRI
exams was 37 per 1,000 population, far
below the national average of 55.5.
“Wait times are simply too long in
B.C., in part due to volumes that are
35% to 40% less than other provinces,”
said Dix. “Increasing MRI exams by
37,000 exams in B.C. this year, with
further increases planned for 2019-
20, will reduce the uncertainty and
pain caused by long waits. Our plan
is to maximize resources and employ
best practices in the public system to
reduce wait times and improve care.”
Reaching MRI targets will be
achieved by:
• operating existing machines
longer to accommodate additional
exams;
• establishing centralized intake
at a regional level that will reduce
duplicate referrals and appointments,
and prevent wasted operating time,
while also offering patients the earliest
appointment available in a region, as
appropriate;
• installing already-planned MRI
machines; and
• adding additional capacity to
the public system.
In addition to increasing capacity,
the Ministry of Health is working with
health authorities to find ways to make
sure referrals for MRI are the most
appropriate diagnostic choice, and that
the quality of exams are consistently
high to ensure patient safety, and
reduce the need to repeat the exams
and take up more valuable time.
MRI is one of the tools used
to diagnose a number of medical
conditions, including abnormalities
of the brain, as well as tumours, cysts
and soft-tissue injuries in other parts
of the body. An early diagnosis can
lead to early treatment, which can
positively affect people’s quality of life
and return them to being contributing
members of their communities and
the economy.
In addition to adding MRI capacity,
on March 21, 2018, Premier John
Horgan announced the Province’s
surgical
strategy
to
complete
approximately 9,400 more surgeries
within the public health-care system
by the end of March 2019.
The strategy will improve timely
access to surgery through a more-
efficient surgical system, and help
the province catch up and keep up
with demand, starting with hip and
knee replacement surgery and dental
surgery. It will also improve patients’
experiences by focusing on improving
surgical pathways, co-ordination of care
and information provided to patients.
(Min. of Health communications).
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