A new national report released this week shows Manitoba’s wait times for MRI and CT scans are getting longer and continue to be the worst in Canada. 

• MRI waits continue to climb. The median wait reached 151 days in 2025, up from 104 days the previous year and nearly three times the Canadian median of 59 days.
• CT waits also worsened. The median wait increased to 60 days, up from 55 days last year and four times the national median of 15 days.
• Manitoba ranks last in Canada on both MRI and CT wait times.

The annual wait times report comes from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, which has been measuring wait times in these areas for nearly 20 years. 

📈 Only part of the picture: While these wait times are concerning on their own, they only tell part of the story. We understand the reported wait times underestimate what patients and physicians are actually experiencing.

• Most requisitions are faxed, and must be manually entered into the Diagnostic Imaging system. We continue to hear from physicians about significant delays at DI Central Intake, where requisitions may sit for weeks or even months before they are processed and the official wait begins.
• Those delays are not reflected in the provincial or national reporting, meaning the true time patients wait for imaging may be considerably longer.
• We have been raising concerns about the paper- and fax-based requisition process and delays in acknowledging and tracking requisitions for several months, coming out of our Referral Summit held last fall. 

👀 What we’re watching: Timely access to diagnostic imaging is essential to diagnosing disease, planning treatment, and avoiding unnecessary delays in care. Growing backlogs can affect patients across nearly every area of medicine.

🩺 What is your experience with DI Central Intake? We want to hear from you.

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