An Indigenous-owned diagnostic imaging provider in Saskatoon has reopened an expanded facility at Market Mall, adding new equipment as part of a $3.4-million project meant to shorten wait times and speed up test results across Saskatchewan.
National Medical Imaging (NMI), which is co-owned by James Smith Cree Nation, Peter Chapman First Nation and the Chakastaypasin Band of the Cree Nation, celebrated the reopening on Oct. 13. The expansion adds a second magnetic resonance imaging unit, bone density diagnostic equipment and a computed radiography imaging system.
NMI board chair and president Paul Ledoux said the project will improve patient access and diagnostic capacity, introduce new specialized services, and strengthen health-care delivery across the province. He called the investment a major milestone for NMI and for provincial health care.
Funding and Partnerships
Indigenous Services Canada contributed $936,000 toward the project, with the remainder funded by the shareholder nations and NMI itself. Ledoux credited this financial support, along with contributions from the Saskatchewan Health Authority and other partners, for making the expansion possible.
Ledoux said the new MRI unit is expected to improve access to MRI examinations, while the bone density equipment and CR imaging system will broaden NMI’s diagnostic capabilities, supporting more specialized diagnostic and treatment procedures.
Reducing Wait Times
“These investments will help reduce wait times, improve patient access to MRI services, support specialized diagnostic and treatment procedures and strengthen Saskatchewan’s health care system,” Ledoux said.
The expansion also introduces new bone density testing and a northern tuberculosis screening program, and is positioned to support the province’s goal of completing 90 per cent of diagnostic scans within 60 days by 2028. NMI also operates a mobile MRI unit in Regina.
Ledoux pointed to NMI’s 2023 restructuring, which included the appointment of a new board aimed at strengthening governance, accountability and long-term planning, as groundwork for the latest investment and the organization’s push toward sustainable growth.
Dignitaries attending the opening included Saskatchewan Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill, Saskatchewan Health Authority Provincial Clinical and Support Services Vice President Kevin Hare, and Chiefs Kirby Constant of James Smith Cree Nation, Calvin Sanderson of the Chakastaypasin Band of the Cree Nation and Rob Head of Peter Chapman First Nation.
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