Saskatchewan doctors are concerned that the government's decision to allow people to pay privately for MRIs is a "hasty policy."

A letter from the president of the Saskatchewan Medical Association to doctors says the group opposes the move and told Health Minister Dustin Duncan that at the end of October.

Dr. Mark Brown writes that the legislation allowing people to pay privately for MRIs runs contrary to the fundamental principle of medicare.

A briefing note for the doctors says creating a dual system for access to MRI scans does not appear to reduce wait times.

The note also says one potential unintended consequence is that wait times for surgery could be exacerbated because patients will have results but will still have to wait.

It says the approach could — quote — "go bad" very quickly.

"We stressed that the SMA advocates for and supports the concept of a strong publicly funded health-care system where access to medical care is based on need and not the ability to pay," Brown writes in the letter dated Dec. 4.

The Saskatchewan government passed legislation in November that allows people to pay privately for MRIs. Private clinics will have to provide a scan to a patient on the public wait list at no charge every time an MRI is provided to someone who chooses to pay for it.

Duncan has said that the move will provide additional MRI capacity at no cost to taxpayers.

It doesn't mean people can get an MRI whenever they want one, because they'll still need to be referred by a doctor.