Patients and doctors are pleading for an MRI in Portage la Prairie, and the city may even have enough money — but the Manitoba government still isn't willing to install the high-tech scanner.

The province has 14 MRI scanners, and a current waitlist of just over 24,100 scans. Judith Jeffries, who has recently joined her husband on that list, said she doesn't understand the NDP government's reluctance, when her southern Manitoba city could serve as a regional hub for many people waiting on a scan.

"They tell us … 'we're a listening government. We want to hear from the people,'" Jeffries said of the Manitoba NDP.

But the reluctance to fund an MRI for Portage la Prairie sends the message "they don't care about me, they don't care about him, they don't care about the other 24,000 people," she said.

The retired vegetable farmers both need MRI scans, but neither has a scheduled date. Judith Jeffries wants to rule out a brain tumor as the cause of seizures she's had. She doesn't believe she has cancer, but she wants the peace of mind.

She's more scared for the health of her husband, Dave. He needs an MRI to determine if his kidney cancer has returned, she said. He fought the disease once, but a CT scan recently detected another spot on his kidney.

His health could deteriorate as he waits for an MRI scan.

"When you're married to someone for 45 years, you can't imagine your life without them," said Judith, tearing up. "I've lost a lot of friends and I've lost a lot of family to cancer — and I know eventually it comes back."

Dave said the news is unsettling.

"I'm not one to really worry about everything," he said softly. "But it's a concern."

The Fight for an MRI

Jeff Bereza, who represents Portage la Prairie in the Manitoba Legislature, thinks now is the perfect time for installing an MRI in the city.

A $455-million hospital is under construction, with plans to welcome patients by late 2025.

The Progressive Conservative MLA said he's been told by hospital officials the facility will have the space and electrical capacities to accommodate an MRI. The previous PC government announced the new hospital in 2021, but the plan didn't include an MRI. The government of the day said there are only about 3,000 patients from the area who need MRIs each year, which would only occupy a machine half the time. The new NDP government has made the same argument.

That explanation initially made sense to Bereza, who was first elected to the legislature last fall, but he says his opinion changed in April after he received a letter, signed by 35 Portage la Prairie doctors, describing the lack of an MRI in the hospital plans as "a glaring omission."

"Our patient population faces many health inequities, and we worry that not having the foresight to include an MRI scanner will only exacerbate these inequities, rewarding those communities that can afford private funding," said the letter, addressed to Premier Wab Kinew.

Bereza met with the doctors, who told him the 3,000 MRI scans a year are an undercount when you consider the appointments cancelled, rescheduled or missed. Some patients, he said, don't have the means to travel to other parts of the province for a scan.

Why are MRI Scans So Important?

Judith Jeffries said she heard from a physician who limits their requests for MRI scans — which are capable of diagnosing various medical conditions — because "they're not going to happen," referring patients instead to ultrasounds, CAT scans and blood work, which are an inferior option in some cases.

Since hearing from the physicians, Bereza has taken up the charge to have an MRI installed in Portage la Prairie. He's circulated petitions signed by well over 3,000 people and encouraged residents to write to the government, and is also planning a town hall in October.

He said his advocacy is driven by his constituents.

It's the "mom with a two-year-old child with a hole in his heart waiting [for an MRI], to people with hip and knee surgery, and they're walking with walkers," Bereza said.

The Government's Stance

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara wasn't available late last week for an interview, but spokesperson Emily Coutts said the government is following the scope of the construction project unveiled by the Tories.

"It was important to our government that we follow through on the expectations set out with the community at the time of the project being announced," she said in an email.

Bereza doesn't believe money should be a barrier. The Portage District General Hospital Foundation has promised $5 million for an MRI, which may cover the entire cost for purchasing and installing the machine, said Bereza, who said he's spoken to three companies that manufacture MRI suites.

There would also be annual operating costs tied to the MRI.

Bereza said he's learned the price to install an MRI could jump by several million dollars after the hospital is built, since parts of the building would have to be redone.

Tara Pettinger, executive director of Portage's hospital foundation, was diplomatic when asked about the proposal. She said the foundation wrote to the province to express their interest in working with them.

"If the decision was made to bring an MRI here, we wanted to make sure that it was known that we wanted to be here to help assist with that in any way that we could," she said.

A Costly Decision

Dave Jeffries said the province should act while millions of dollars are available.

"It's just foolish in my mind. Now is the time to do it, when they're building the hospital."

After months of waiting, he and Judith are now planning to travel out of province to get their MRI scans in Gatineau, Que. They anticipate spending a few thousand on the tests, flights and accommodations.

Judith Jeffries wishes that option didn't feel necessary.

"[Governments] keep saying they don't want a two-tiered medical system. I hate to tell them, there is already a two-tiered medical system," she said.

For those who can afford it, she said, "when it comes to life and death, I think anyone would pay for it."

The debate over the MRI in Portage la Prairie highlights a growing concern about healthcare access and affordability in Canada. While the Manitoba government emphasizes the need to prioritize existing resources, many argue that neglecting to install the MRI in the new hospital represents a missed opportunity to improve healthcare access in the region. The battle for an MRI continues, with the community rallying behind its cause and the government facing mounting pressure to reconsider its stance.