The Battlefords Union Hospital hosted a celebration recently, introducing its new CT scanner to the public.
A number of dignitaries were in attendance at thr celebration, including Mayor Ryan Bater, MLA Herb Cox, rural and remote health minister Greg Ottenbreit, Prairie North Health Region CEO David Fan, and PNRH Authority chairperson Bonnie O'Grady.
The CT scanner cost approximately $1.2 million. Approximately $600,000 came from the Ministry of Health, while the other approximate $600,000 was raised by the Battlefords Union Hospital Foundation, with most funding coming from a local radiothon.
On Sept. 18, the scanner's first patient was serviced, after six weeks of renovations to the current space where the scanner is, and the machine's installation. During renovations and the installation, health workers performed CT scans on patients with a mobile CT unit.
The mobile unit is currently in use in Lloydminster, and health authorites expect the city's new CT scanner to be operational in November. The Ministry of Health also gave $600,000 to Lloydminster's CT scanner.