Port Moody residents still have to leave their community when they need an MRI.
According to the City of Port Moody, Fraser Health recently decided not to include an MRI machine in the proposed capital plan for Eagle Ridge Hospital.
Currently, patients are forced to either travel or be transferred to other hospitals, which include Ridge Meadows and Royal Columbian.
“We serve the largest catchment within Fraser Health that does not have MRI access for our community,” Kristina Chung, executive director for Eagle Ridge Hospital, told Global News.
“It means inpatients must be transferred out. It results in extended hospital stays, additional costs both for the health care system as well as our community in general.”
Port Moody Coun. Diana Dilworth told Global News that adding MRI capacity in the city could also help reduce regional waitlists.
“Like other hospitals, it could be used on a 24-hour cycle,” she said.
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Dilworth said that population growth in the Tri-Cities is outpacing the services available.
“We need the province to grow with us,” she said. “Particularly if they’re asking us to take on the growth that we’re taking on. Building higher buildings, welcoming more people, they need to do the same.”
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Fraser Health told Global News that planning for an MRI at Eagle Ridge is underway, but did not provide a timeline.
The Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation said it is ready to raise $5 million for MRI services, but only if the project goes ahead.
“We will not fundraise and actively accept funds for a project unless it’s approved,” Chung said.
This news comes as new polling from Angus Reid suggests that access to basic diagnostic testing is a growing challenge.
The poll said that 38 per cent of Canadians who needed tests in the past six months say they were difficult to get.
In B.C., that number rose to 46 per cent.
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