Saskatchewan government discusses rural health-care delays

The Saskatchewan government believes a big reason for disruptions and delays in the province’s health-care industry is a result of understaffing.

Everett Hindley, the minister of mental health and addictions, seniors and rural and remote health, believes that statement is very evident for small towns.

“In the case of Kamsack, what we have happening there is a service disruption — a temporary one — because of some staffing challenges we face there,” Hindley told Gormley on Monday. “As a result, the SHA (Saskatchewan Health Authority) had to close the beds there at that particular facility.

“We are committed, myself as the minister in this government is committed, to doing everything we can to bring staff to places like Kamsack to make sure that we restore those services as quickly as possible to the people in those areas.”

Hindley says moving forward, the government is looking at recruitment in Canada, outside of the country, as well as improving medical training access here at home.

“We have both short-, medium- and long-term strategies that we’re focusing on. In terms of short term, what we’re trying to do is look at anything and everything that we need to do when it comes to staffing these facilities,” he said.

“I’m going around the province and the premier is as well, the health minister and all of our MLAs, talking to community leaders and talking to frontline workers and those that work directly in health care that have gone above and beyond the past couple of years.

“We are hearing from them what some of the challenges and barriers are that they are facing and trying to get some ideas from them in terms of what is it that we need to do to help shore up these disruptions.”

Hindley acknowledged it’s important for rural towns to have easy access to health care and he is adamant that disruptions will not be long-term issues moving forward.