Saskatchewan Medical Association’s President Dr. Intheran Pillay and Vice President Dr. Joanne Silverston are touring health regions across the province to discuss health care related issues. Photo courtesy sma.sk.ca.
La Ronge area doctors are voicing their concerns about the upcoming changes to Saskatchewan’s health regions.
The Saskatchewan Government recently announced transformational changes coming to health regions in the province by the end of the year. There is no indication yet regarding what the changes would be, but the number of health regions are expected to be reduced. Some experts even say the health ministry could become a centralized service like Alberta.
Local doctors met with representatives from the Saskatchewan Medical Association in La Ronge on Tuesday night and this change was one of the main concerns brought forward.
Dr. Joanne Silverston, Vice-President of SMA, says doctors in La Ronge have a good relationship with the Mamawetan Churchill River Health Region and they don’t want to lose that.
“Currently, the doctors are given freedom to innovate and provide services in ways they feel are better for their patients, so they just want to make sure they don’t lose that ability to change the way they practice because their voice is lost in a larger system,” she said.
SMA representatives are currently touring the province to discuss concerns and solutions in the health care system with local doctors.
“These meetings are an opportunity for us to hear directly from local physicians about their concerns,” said Dr. Silverston.
Another big challenge for local doctors brought forward during the meeting was isolation and man power.
Dr. Silverston says they are working to alleviate these challenges as well.
“One of the things we are exploring is being able to provide remote services through telehealth,” she said. “There are ongoing discussions and issues on how that can be done to ensure patients can continue to get good care and improve their access, while physicians can still get paid for the service.”
The SMA is making 12 stops on its tour, including one in Prince Albert on Wednesday.
Visits to Ile-a-la-Crosse and La Loche are expected in October.