Haida Gwaii patients will have access to state-of-the-art imaging scans when the new Terrace hospital opens in November.
This spring and summer, a new SPECT-CT, MRI, and CT scanner were each installed in the new hospital. Together, they cost nearly $5 million.
A SPECT-CT machine combines two types of scans to make high-resolution, 3D images inside the body. They are good for detecting cancerous or abnormal cells, and musculoskeletal problems.
An MRI machine uses a magnetic field and radio waves to make images of soft tissue and organs, including the brain.
Marina Downs, diagnostic imaging manager at Mills Memorial, said in a press release that the SPECT-CT and MRI machines in particular save northern B.C. patients from travelling farther away.
CT scanners have become more common. Both the Prince Rupert and Smithers hospitals have CT scanners, which use X-rays to make cross-sectional images of bones, soft tissue, and blood vessels.
Downs said it was cheaper and less disruptive to buy and install the scanning equipment now, while the new hospital is under construction.
According to a report published in April, the $623-million Terrace hospital is on budget and about a month ahead of schedule.
It will be twice the size of the existing Mills Memorial Hospital, with 78 beds. It will serve as a regional trauma and inpatient surgery centre, as well as offering orthopedic surgeries, pathology, radiology, clinical support, and pharmacy services.
The new hospital has not been named yet.
In February, staff and residents moved into the new Seven Sisters building adjacent to the new hospital site. It is a regional long-term rehab and recovery centre for adults who have serious and persistent mental illnesses. It has five more beds, a new multi-sensory room, and more spaces for recreation, treatment, staff and meetings.
The new Terrace hospital is funded mostly by the province. But an 18 per cent or $110.2-million share comes from the North West Regional Hospital District, which is supported in part by taxpayers on Haida Gwaii.