A northern Saskatchewan MLA says he is growing tired of a wait for long-term care beds in La Ronge.
New Democrat Doyle Vermette says the provincial government has ignored a report done two years ago that states 46 beds are needed in La Ronge, but just 16 are available.
Vermette says he worries what effect this gap is having on northern families:
“It’s critical right now. Clearly, so many elders and seniors would have to leave the community, the north, to south — and sometimes it can be 10 hours of travel for loved ones to visit.”
Saskatchewan’s Minister of Health says it will take time to address the shortage of long-term care beds in La Ronge.
Dustin Duncan says the ministry is facing a backlog of infrastructure concerns that must addressed:
“Right now, on a year-to-year basis, we have some outstanding priorities and commitments that have already been made that we need to move forward with, to get off of our books — a couple of hospitals that are in the planning phase right now. But, as we move forward and be able to look at capital projects going forward, certainly La Ronge, in particular, has been identified as a need up in northern Saskatchewan.”
Duncan says once projects like the Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan are completed, the government will be in a better position to look at future commitments in long-term facilities.