CAMRT CEO Kelly Masotti was interviewed yesterday by Globe and Mail Health Reporter, Kelly Grant.
The story entitled “Radiologists warn of rising wait times for MRIs, CTs and other diagnostic scans” highlights the findings from a report produced by Deloitte Canada (and supported by CAR, CAMRT and Sonography Canada). The story cited the $64 billion in lost GDP, together with $18 billion in lost wages for Canadians and $6 billion in lost tax revenue to highlight the impact that waiting for diagnostic imaging has on Canadians.
Kelly quoted the CAMRT research that shows current vacancy rates across the MRT disciplines range from 8-15%, and was clear that the shortage of MRTs plays a central role in these wait times:
“Unfortunately, what that means is in many departments, scanners are sitting idle, shifts are going unfilled, and we are seeing longer and longer wait times for patients,” Ms. Masotti said. “It’s not a temporary blip. This is a systemic shortage, and it’s worsening.”
Read the full Globe and Mail article here (G&M paywall may apply)
CAMRT Advocating for you on workforce
This interview is part of the larger CAMRT strategy to speak to federal and provincial politicians and healthcare decision makers throughout Canada.We have had numerous meetings in provinces, with partners and with government agencies to highlight the need for attention and action to the MRT workforce crisis. Updates on many of these meetings can be found in the pages of the CAMRT News. We are also looking forward to its Day on Parliament Hill in Ottawa coming up on November 19th. Stay tuned for more updates from the day.
Finally, we want to thank the hundreds of MRTs that have already emailed their MPs about CAMRT’s advocacy in a current letter campaign. These messages help to raise awareness and lay the groundwork for our discussions going forward. If you would like to send a letter to your MP, you can do so here via the “Support the MRT Profession Campaign“.