Northern Manitoba’s mobile MRI unit is set to start serving patients in The Pas this week. Previously stationed at Thompson General Hospital since its launch in June 2025, the unit has now been relocated to St. Anthony’s General Hospital in The Pas, where it will commence patient services from Monday. Positioned in a trailer between the hospital and First Street West, the mobile MRI unit was temporarily immobilized after its launch, with a delay attributed in part to a budget-related issue with the initial request for proposals.
Data from Shared Health reveals that over 3,000 diagnostic scans have been conducted using the mobile unit since June 2025. A spokesperson for Shared Health Manitoba mentioned that the unit will be shuttled more frequently between The Pas and Thompson in the future to enhance healthcare provision in northern regions, although the exact transfer schedule was not specified.
Dayna McTaggart, the provincial manager of the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists Manitoba, who works as a medical radiological technologist in The Pas, expressed relief at the unit’s successful arrival in The Pas. She highlighted the significant improvement in access to care facilitated by the mobile MRI unit, emphasizing the reduction in wait times that residents previously faced when seeking MRI scans outside the region.
The mobile MRI unit in Northern Manitoba, the sole one of its kind in the province and the only MRI scanner available in the north, has negated the need for northerners to travel to Winnipeg or other distant centers for MRI scans. Previously, the closest MRI unit to The Pas was in Dauphin, which became inoperable following the closure of Dauphin Regional Health Centre due to flooding. McTaggart affirmed that the northern unit offers the same high-quality care as other facilities in the province, despite its mobility.
With the introduction of the mobile scanner, the wait time for MRI scans in northern Manitoba has significantly decreased, now boasting one of the shortest wait times in the province according to the provincial diagnostics and surgical wait list dashboard. McTaggart emphasized the efficiency and value of the mobile unit, noting its critical role in providing timely and top-notch healthcare services to the northern population.