Alberta is spending $33 million this year to ramp up the number of non-emergency CT scans and MRIs to deal with a backlog of diagnostic imaging for non-emergency cases. It is a one-time expenditure on top of the regular spending on diagnostic imaging. Health Minister Tyler Shandro says emergency scans are done within 24 hours, but patients who aren't in hospital have been waiting too long. A year ago, Shandro announced the province's contract with radiologists — the specialist physicians who read and interpret diagnostic images — would end by March 31, 2021. The current contract with hospital-based radiologists has been extended by six months to allow them to reach a new agreement with Alberta Health Services.

Source: CBC News March 26, 2021 22:07 UTC