SIOUX LOOKOUT — Sioux Lookout residents will soon no longer have to travel to Thunder Bay for an MRI.
The province announced on Friday it was investing $8.1 million to build and operate an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) suite at the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre.
About 1,900 square feet will be added to the health centre for the suite, which will bridge the health care gap for northern and First Nation communities, said Greg Rickford, MPP for Kenora-Rainy River.
“We’ve heard from families that have travelled in the middle of the night for appointments in Thunder Bay and beyond,” said Rickford. “By investing in the first-ever MRI suite in Sioux Lookout – as well as Lake of the Woods District Hospital – we’re improving wait times, delivering faster diagnoses, and ensuring better health outcomes for patients across the Northwest.”
This MRI machine will serve patients not only in Sioux Lookout but also Hudson, Pickle Lake, Savant Lake and several First Nations communities.
"We have been working diligently to advocate for our hospital and patients for a number of services, one of them being the implementation of an MRI unit,” said Dean Osmond, president and CEO of Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre. “I would like to extend my greatest appreciation to the Government of Ontario and the Ministry of Health for recognizing and supporting this need for our patients."
The province announced Kenora’s Lake of the Woods District Hospital would also be getting MRI capabilities in November of last year.
Previously, Thunder Bay Health Sciences Centre had the only MRI scanner in the region.
“Our government is making record investments in health care to connect more people to the care they need, closer to home,” said Sylvia Jones, Minister of Health. “By equipping Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win with its first-ever MRI machine and diagnostic imaging suite, we are making it easier and faster for more families across Northwestern Ontario to access key diagnostic services, in their community, for years to come.”
The hospital foundation has already raised $2.5 million toward construction of the new wing. The $7 million fundraising campaign was launched in December 2023.
That $2.5 million will go to the foundation's capital equipment fund, with priority being given to the MRI project, said a spokesperson for the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre.
The hopsital is looking to award a contract for the project by the end of March.
"The project will be a complete turn-key solution to include the MRI suite that will be connected from the exterior near our existing diagnostic imaging department," the spokesperson said. "It is anticipated the project will be completed near the end of 2026."
