November 21, 2022
Canadians were already waiting an average of 50 to 82 days for CT scans and 89 days for MRI prior to the pandemic. The Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR) says this is 20 to 50 days longer than the recommended 30-day wait time and the association warns these delays are getting worse. It recommends that the federal government:
- Invest $1 billion over three years for medical imaging equipment and implements an HR strategy to hire more medical radiation technologists and sonographers to support the increased equipment capacity;
- Support the implementation of a national e-referrals program to equip referring health professionals with better access to medical imaging guidelines; and
- Harness homegrown AI applications for the strategic prioritization of health HR, technology and infrastructure for medical imaging in Canada.
Related:
Les radiologistes se rendent sur la Colline du Parlement pour demander que des mesures soient prises afin d'éliminer l'arriéré de demandes d'imagerie médicale au Canada - Association canadienne des radiologistes
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