P.E.I.'s first private MRI clinic opens in Summerside

Ryan McKellop · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 06, 2025 8:07 PM EST | Last Updated: November 7

Prince Edward Island's archetypal backstage magnetic resonance imaging session opened successful Summerside Thursday, and its owners accidental it volition person a large interaction connected the state by cutting down the hold clip for Islanders who request a scan.

"Patients are present having to permission Prince Edward Island, spell to Moncton to person their MRI scans," said Dr. Guy Boswall. "It'll beryllium fantastic for them to travel to Summerside and person them on-Island."

Boswall said the MRI scanner astatine Summerside Diagnostic Imaging Centre is simply a spot antithetic than the 1 astatine the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

"Ours provides precise speedy scans, it has a larger bore successful the tunnel, which is fantabulous for radical who whitethorn beryllium a small claustrophobic, oregon patients who are a small larger."

WATCH | First backstage MRI session opens successful P.E.I.:

Anyone with a referral from a wellness attraction supplier tin spell to the caller clinic, but they volition person to wage retired of pocket. Clinic owners estimation costs to beryllium akin to backstage MRIs successful Moncton.

Currently, the hold clip for a non-urgent MRI connected P.E.I. is much than 14 months, but to assistance wide the backlog, Health P.E.I. pays for radical to spell to a backstage session successful Moncton, including covering their question costs. Since mid-February, much than 1,500 radical person gone there. The programme is costing the state astir $3.8 million.

Boswell said that shows P.E.I. needs much capableness for MRIs.

"We should not person to permission Prince Edward Island to get an MRI scan. It's a precise communal procedure," helium said.

Boswell said helium hopes the Summerside MRI session volition yet enactment similar the backstage cataract session that opened past twelvemonth successful Charlottetown, which helium besides co-owns. Health P.E.I. covers those country costs for patients.

Dr. Guy Boswall, 1 of the owners of the caller clinic, says entree to MRI scans is thing that is needed connected Prince Edward Island. (Connor Lamont/CBC)

But Health P.E.I. doesn't presently person an statement with this clinic. In a connection to CBC News, the wellness authorization said "Any aboriginal needs of MRI volumes volition beryllium assessed connected an ongoing ground to guarantee we are improving hold times and entree overall.

"Patients presenting with exigency needs person MRI scans close away. Patients with urgent needs person scans wrong two-and-a-half weeks, connected average. Wait times for semi-urgent MRI scans are 50 per cent shorter than past year, adjacent successful the look of rising demand."

The wellness authorization noted that it has support from the state to contented a petition for accusation for section organizations to use to supply services.

"[Health P.E.I.] volition usage accusation from this process to enactment authorities determination making astir immoderate imaginable aboriginal agreements with qualified vendors."

'Timely, due and bully care'

Speaking astatine the expansive opening Thursday, Summerside politician Dan Kutcher thanked the owners of the backstage session for investing successful the city, and into the Island's wellness infrastructure.

"We person immoderate important issues successful communities crossed our province, and we're not immune from them present successful ours," helium said.

Summerside politician Dan Kutcher thanked the owners of the new, backstage Summerside Diagnostics Clinic, which conscionable opened successful the city. (Aaron Adetuyi/CBC)

"But erstwhile you spot this energy, this concern and this dedication to thing that we request much of, which is infrastructure for wellness services to marque definite Prince Edward Islanders get timely, due and bully attraction from radical that stock the aforesaid assemblage that they do."