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A Halifax woman said she was aghast after receiving an appointment for an MRI seven years after her specialist sent in a requisition for the test.
Jessica Leslie said it took so long to get the appointment, she had forgotten all about it.
She initially laughed.
“About an hour later, I got angry,” she said. “I have friends in the endometriosis group that I’m a part of, for whom this has completely sidelined and put their lives on hold.”
The requisition was sent by a specialist at the IWK’s endometriosis clinic, which was just starting up.
Leslie said in July 2019, she was having increasingly painful cycles, and was desperate for answers.
LISTEN | Mainstreet’s interview with Jessica Leslie:
Mainstreet NS10:18Halifax woman waits seven years for a MRI appointment
We’ve heard of long waittimes in our healthcare system, but a Halifax woman says enough is enough. Jessica Leslie just got a call for her MRI appointment, SEVEN years after her specialist sent in a requisition. She tells guest host Carolyn Ray all about it.Â
She had an ultrasound, but her new doctor suggested a pelvic MRI would give them a better sense of the problem.
Leslie said the doctor prescribed her medication to see if that would be effective while they waited for the test. The specialist also sent her back to her family doctor for follow up care until the results arrived.
“Because the pandemic hit six months later, it completely left my mind. I knew it was going to be a multi-year wait anyway. I was expecting two years.”
Leslie said she was lucky because her medication is effective. She decided to cancel the appointment to free it up for those who needed it urgently.
Leslie is a member of an endometriosis support group, and she told them about her seven year wait.
“Somebody else said I’ve been waiting five years, some said two to three,” she said, pointing out that some of those women have stopped working because of their pain.
Nova Scotia Health says case an exception
“I think, had I been in the type of pain I see some of my friends in, I would have been a lot louder a lot sooner.”
Nova Scotia Health says Leslie’s case is an exception.
The health authority refused to do an interview, but in an emailed statement, it told CBC that it is building up capacity for MRIs, and improving coordination between locations in the province.
It said there were 53,228 MRIs between April 2025 and February 2026, an 11 per cent increase from the year before.
“Very long waits are rare and represent a small fraction of all MRI exams completed,” the statement said. “Over the last two years, fewer than 80 MRIs completed involved patients who had been waiting more than five years.”
The health authority said specialized MRIs, such as one on a pelvis, largely need to be performed in the central zone by specific staff, which can also add to wait times.
Raising awareness
“These scans can require the use of specific MRI units and must also be supported by radiologists with additional sub-specialty training. This can affect scheduling capacity and flexibility for some cases.”
Nova Scotia Health said if someone is worried about their wait and their condition changes, they should reach out.
Leslie said she decided to go public to raise awareness about the state of women’s health, and figured that complaining to the health authority would result in “platitudes.”
She said the dozens of people who waited years for their tests deserve a better explanation.
“Why weren’t we triaged first then? That means other people have gone before us that haven’t been waiting that long. I’m a little bit baffled.”
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