Premier asks if Sask. people should be able to pay for private MRIs
Brad Wall took to social media to pose the question
Premier Brad Wall took to social media to ask if the people of Saskatchewan should be able to pay for their own MRIs in private clinics.
The question came up after Wall was alerted that a man in Saskatchewan had been waiting more than three months for his test.
"It's time for us to look at the availability of private MRIs for people like they do in Alberta," he told reporters Thursday.
He added that currently people can already go to Alberta, pay for their MRI and bring it back to their specialists, and that SGI and workers compensation already send some clients to Alberta to get MRIs more quickly.
Wall also said that opening up the system to pay for MRIs could bring down the wait times in the public system.
"It does make sense that the wait list is going to shrink because those who want to pay will come off that public wait list and they'll get their MRIs and thereby shortening the wait list for all, whether they want to pay or not," Wall said.
Wall said the government will look into private pay systems for other diagnostics tests, such as CT scans and looks forward to hearing more from the people of Saskatchewan.
Since the announcement Thursday morning, we have put together some of your responses on social media.
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Replay the live chat below, or if you'd like to weigh in, leave your thoughts in the comment section.
Join online host Matt Kruchak from Monday to Friday between 6-8:45 a.m. on cbc.ca/saskatoon for a lively and engaging live chat. While chatting, tune into Saskatoon Morning on 94.1 FM with host Leisha Grebinski.