REGINA,SASKATOON, Sask. — Saskatchewan is now home to two of four StarGuide scanners in Western Canada.
This enhanced technology was first introduced to the province in April 2025 at Regina General Hospital following a $2.1 million capital investment from the Ministry of Health.
Since that time, teams have completed 2,856 exams for 1,634 patients using this new technology. Compared with the department's older nuclear medicine systems, StarGuide produces higher quality images, giving radiologists more accurate and reliable results to support clinical diagnosis, according to the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
In January 2026, a second StarGuide scanner began operating at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, following a $2 million contribution from Irene and Leslie Dubé through the Royal University Hospital Foundation.
The StarGuide scanner is used within SPECT/CT (Single‑Photon Emission Computed Tomography/Computed Tomography) services, which allow clinicians to evaluate organ function with precise anatomical detail. The images sharper, and patients also spend less time in the scanning bed, just 20 to 30 minutes as compared to up to an hour on older systems.
“This technology allows our teams to capture images with higher resolution and greater comfort for patients, supporting our physicians in making confident, well-informed decisions about their patient care,” said Kevin Hare, vice-president, Provincial Clinical and Support Services with the SHA.
Teams at RUH have now seen approximately 1,200 patients, completing a variety of cardiac, bone, parathyroid and therapy-related scans, USING the new StarGuide scanner.
“The impact of Irene and Leslie Dubé’s generosity reaches people from across Saskatchewan who come to RUH for care, and their legacy lives on in every patient this new scanner helps,” said Jennifer Molloy, RUH Foundation CEO.
“Their $2-million gift purchased this scanner, the latest in a lifetime of generosity to our hospital and its patients. Irene and Leslie dedicated themselves to the well-being of others, and we will always be grateful to them.”
