Funds being raised to replace MRI scanner at Guelph General Hospital

Guelph General Hospital is starting to raise money for a new MRI scanner.

Dr. Samir Patel, the hospital’s radiologist and chief of diagnostic imaging, said the hospital urgently needs to replace the MRI scanner before the old one becomes unreliable.

“We rely on the MRI scanner to help so many patients: patients who need an answer to their spine or neck pain; patients who are suffering with torn muscles or ligaments; patients who are being treated and monitored in their battle against cancer; and critically ill patients within the hospital,” he said.

Patel added the hospital can’t even afford a day of downtime to repair the equipment.

The hospital said a new scanner will be up to two times faster and a scan that takes half an hour could be completed in 15 to 20 minutes.

Dr. Patel says he’s incredibly proud of the hospital’s track record, with its machine consistently among the most efficient MRI scanners in the province.

“Month-over-month, GGH completes a high number of patient scans per hour in operation compared to others in the province. And I know we can help even more patients with a new MRI scanner,” he said.

It’s estimated that with a new scanner, GGH will do 13,000 to 17,000 patient scans per year.

Funds are already being raised through a variety of programs at the hospital, among them the 50/50 Hospital Lottery, the Tour de Guelph 2021 and Guelph General Hospital Foundation’s Together, We Care campaign.

The hospital said members in the community have already donated toward a new MRI scanner through the Together, We Care campaign.

The hospital says it’s been 14 years since the community came together to fund Guelph’s first scanner.

To install and purchase a new MRI scanner, the hospital says the cost is estimated at $2.25 million.