Health minister says money for new equipment at Moncton Hospital is first step to quicker health access

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By Aloma Jardine
Times & Transcript Staff

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Health Minister Mike Murphy took what he called the "first step on the road towards the war on wait times" yesterday, as he announced funding for new equipment for The Moncton Hospital.

Enlarge Photo

Greg Agnew

Rachelle Gaudet, technical director of medical imaging at The Moncton Hospital, shows digital mammography equipment to Health Minister Michael Murphy yesterday.

The province is contributing $846,000 toward the purchase of a new digital mammography unit and a new digital radiology unit.

"This starts us down the road toward success in victory in the war on wait times which we will wage relentlessly during the remainder of our term in office," Murphy says.

Digital technology is faster to use, plus produces better quality images.

The digital radiology unit will replace one of the hospital's current analogue units, while the mammography unit goes hand in hand with The Friends of the Moncton Hospital Foundation's $1.1 million Mammography Matters campaign.

Between the money from the province and the campaign, three new digital mammography units will be purchased, one dedicated to diagnostic testing, the other two to screening.

The additional equipment should greatly help in reducing wait times for patients, particularly for those seeking screening.

Murphy says investing in infrastructure like this is just one of the ways the province can improve cancer care.

Murphy, whose mother was a breast cancer survivor, says he can remember the psychological agony of the wait time between first being concerned, then going through screening and testing, then biopsy and surgery, and says reducing wait times for New Brunswickers is one of his top priorities.

Murphy says keeping equipment up to date at hospitals around the province would be nearly impossible without the help of groups like The Friends of The Moncton Hospital.

"The Friends of the Moncton Hospital Foundation is making an incredibly important contribution to dramatically improve access to breast cancer screening in this region," he says. "I can't say enough about the partnership we've enjoyed over the last few years and the many more we hope to enjoy with foundations across New Brunswick."

Donn Peters, president and CEO of Regional Health Authority B, says it is one of the most classic examples of a public private partnership.

"No doubt the women of New Brunswick, and in particular southeast New Brunswick, would not have access to the very best digital mammography equipment that money can buy without this partnership," he says.

Peters says the province has also come aboard with funding for the staff needed to operate the additional machines.

"Too often we can buy a piece of equipment and have no staff to run it, so you're struggling from day one," he says. "That was not part of this deal with Minister Murphy and the government. They provided both."

Murphy says within the next few years analogue mammography imaging system will become obsolete, so the province needs to look at replacing them with digital systems. However, he says that alone is not enough.

"It is going to be more than simply having digital mammography machines all across the province. There has to be a strategy, there has to be co-ordination," he says, adding he'll be working on developing a breast cancer screening strategy this fall, with the aim of releasing it in late October, early November.

Murphy says the move to digital screening will also be important as the province continues to work on developing a province-wide archival system that will store every patient's image tests for life.

"This will give health care providers anywhere in this province access to previous exams," he says. "Having this province-wide archive system will reduce duplication of tests which will save money and reduce wait times for tests."

Rachelle Gaudet, technical director for the medical imaging department at the South-East Regional Health Authority, says technicians and radiologists have already been trained on the new mammography system and have been using the technology for more than two months.

The first of the three mammography units, the one dedicated to diagnostic testing, has already been installed.

The two units being used for screening will be put in place over the next few months at the Katherine Wright Family Wellness Centre, which is being moved from its current location at 234 Reade St. to the Professional Arts building next to The Moncton Hospital.

In addition to the $846,000 investment, Murphy announced the South-East Regional Health Authority will also receive a little more than $1 million for the purchase of equipment costing between $5,000 and $100,000.

The total $1.85 million investment is part of the Department of Health's $13.22-million 2008-2009 equipment budget.