Service on a new permanent MRI machine has started in the David E. Kampe Tower at Penticton Regional Hospital (PRH).

Patients from across the South Okanagan-Similkameen will benefit from this enhanced local service, with the number of scans performed in Penticton expected to increase to 5,000-plus scans each year once the service is fully operational. As local capacity builds, patients will see shorter waits and receive earlier diagnoses for a variety of medical conditions.

Penticton has the newest MRI machine in Interior Health’s provincial area and the first MRI of its kind to be installed in a Canadian hospital. It’s the latest version of Siemens’ Sola MRI.

Expanding the number of MRI suites in IH is a key part of the provincial diagnostic strategy. A total of 27,219 scans were performed across IH in 2018-19, an increase of more than 30 per cent from the 20,726 scans done in 2017-18.

About MRI

MRI, or Magnetic Resonance Imaging, is a safe and painless test that uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce detailed pictures of the body’s organs and structures. MRIs are used to diagnose a number of medical conditions, including abnormalities of the brain, as well as tumors, cysts and soft tissue injuries in other parts of the body. MRI scans are important diagnostic tools that do not use radiation; however, other types of diagnostic imaging – x-ray, ultrasound, or computed tomography (CT)– are more appropriate tools for many types of medical conditions.

Interior Health, Okanagan-Similkameen Regional Hospital District, and South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation. The permanent MRI is part of the legacy of the late David E. Kampe, who donated nearly $8 million to the David E. Kampe Tower, including $3 million for the MRI.