Yukon Party promises shorter MRI wait times at Whitehorse hospital

A re-elected Yukon Party government would put up an additional $200,000 annuallyto reduce waiting times for MRI testing at the Whitehorse hospital, according to the party's Porter Creek South candidate Mike Nixon.

The funding would reduce the wait time for non-emergency tests from six months to three months, he said.

"Hearing from Yukoners over the past year we know that the wait times are too long, and Yukoners have told us they want them shortened," said Nixon.

Nixon said hospital staff have saidthey can halfthe wait time without additional resources, but more money is needed to speed up the interpretation of the results by radiologists in southern Canada.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Yukon Hospital Corporation, Jason Bilsky, told CBC News in September the current wait times were acceptable.

Nixon said the Yukon Party would also expand the chemotherapy treatment room at the Whitehorse hospital.

Geraldine Van Bibber, the party's candidate in Porter Creek North, is one of the founders of the Yukoners Cancer Care Fund which provides financial support to Yukoners fighting cancer and their families.

"Being involved with cancer in my family and also being a strong fundraiser for numerous years, I always will advocate on behalf of Yukoners who have cancer in their homes," Van Bibber said.