Province investing $155 million for 57 community surgical and diagnostic centres to connect 1.2 million people to publicly funded procedures
The Ontario government is investing $155 million over two years to add 57 new community surgical and diagnostic centres licensed to deliver MRI and CT scans, and gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy services across the province. The expansion will help 1.2 million people access publicly funded procedures faster and is part of the government’s plan to invest in and protect Ontario’s health-care system.
“The 57 new centres we are rolling out across Ontario will make a huge difference for people in the province, helping them get the care they need, when they need it,” said Premier Doug Ford. “It’s all part of our plan to protect and improve our health-care services, all while ensuring people always receive the care they need with their OHIP card.”
Following a Call for Applications, licences will be issued starting this summer for:
- MRI and CT Scan Services: 35 newly licenced centres will deliver MRI and CT scans, connecting up to 828,000 more people over two years to vital diagnostic imaging — more than four times the province’s original goal. This expansion of services will reduce wait times and ensure patients receive scans within the medically recommended timeframe in regions where the centres will operate.
- GI Endoscopy Services: 22 newly licenced centres will deliver GI endoscopy procedures, adding up to 420,000 procedures over two years, more than three times the province’s original goal. This expansion will ensure that every patient in the province in need of a GI endoscopy procedure receives it within the medically recommended timeframe.
The announcement was made at the Schroeder Ambulatory Centre in Richmond Hill. The Centre is receiving $14 million to provide MRI and CT scans, as well as GI Endoscopy procedures to over 115,000 patients over two years, significantly reducing wait times in the region. The other recipients will be announced in the coming weeks.
“When it comes to wait times for surgeries and procedures, the status quo is not acceptable. That’s why our government is taking bold, decisive action to protect Ontario’s health-care system by boosting access to vital surgeries and diagnostic imaging so that families can conveniently access the care they need sooner,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “By licensing 57 new community surgical and diagnostic centres across Ontario, we are reducing wait times and ensuring more people can receive timely care in their community, for years to come.”
As the government significantly expands the number of surgeries and procedures being done through community surgical and diagnostic centres, it is ensuring these centres are integrated and linked with the broader public-health system. This includes requiring new facilities to provide detailed staffing plans that protect the stability of staffing resources at public hospitals, report into the province’s wait times information system and participate in regional central intakes, where available, to ensure people get the care they need as quickly as possible. All community surgical and diagnostic centres are under the oversight of Accreditation Canada’s new quality assurance program, which provides the same strong requirements as public hospitals to improve quality standards at facilities and ensure consistent patient safety and quality care.
As part of Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the government is taking action to protect Ontario by reducing surgical and diagnostic backlogs to make it easier and faster for more people to connect to publicly funded surgeries and procedures, when and where they need it.
Quick Facts
- For over 30 years, community surgical and diagnostic centres have been providing publicly funded diagnostic imaging, surgeries and procedures.
- There are currently over 900 community surgical and diagnostic centres across the province; the majority provide diagnostic imaging services.
- New community surgical and diagnostic centres build on the progress the Ontario government has made since the launch of A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care including:
- Achieving the shortest surgical wait times for key procedures of any province in Canada in 2024 with over 83 per cent of people receiving their procedure within clinically recommended target times
- Funding up to 65,568 MRI and 31,220 CT operating hours in existing community surgical and diagnostic centres over the past year
- Adding 50 new MRI machines in 43 hospitals across the province to increase MRI capacity and services
- Adding four new licensed cataract centres to provide more publicly funded cataract and other eye surgeries. In the past year, the government has funded 40,000 eye surgery procedures at community surgical and diagnostic centres
- Eliminating the backlog of cervical cancer screening tests at the end of August 2023. Testing turnaround times returned to the pre-pandemic standard of 10 to 14 days.
- Existing centres have transitioned to the new quality assurance (QA) program. Routine inspections by Accreditation Canada’s new QA program began October 2024.
- No centre can refuse an insured service to a patient who chooses not to purchase uninsured upgrades and no patient can pay to receive insured services faster than anyone else.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
