The Official Opposition is raising questions about wait times for MRIs in the province.

PC health critic Barry Petten cites two recent cases involving people who were given wait times of two years for the procedure.

He cited the example of a Paradise woman who says her brain “is a ticking time bomb” while she waits for her appointment.

Health Minister Tom Osborne acknowledged that MRI wait times are longer than acceptable, adding NL Health Services is increasing the hours of operation for the procedure in the province.

He also says a sixth machine will be up and running when the new hospital in Corner Brook opens soon, increasing capacity by 20 per cent and reducing wait times.

And Osborne says he has inquired about the necessity of another MRI machine for the province.

“I’ve asked whether an additional machine, again, is worthy of being added, and I’ve asked the health authority to provide us with that recommendation.”

MRIs, or magnetic resonance imaging, uses a magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves to create detailed, three-dimensional images of the organs and tissues in the body.