Dear Editor:
The claims made by Sandra Seitz (CUPE’s “Health authority makes workers anxious,” of November 21) do not accurately reflect how a single health authority will improve patient care.
Improving patient care is done through continuous quality improvement, putting patients first. In the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region, patients are receiving after-hours emergency surgery 20 per cent sooner. Wait times have been reduced by 40 percent at the Early Pregnancy Assessment Clinic for women seeking a physician for diagnostics and test results. In the Kelsey Trail Health Region, 100 per cent of patients admitted to long-term care on a temporary basis have been able to return home and gain independence. These are but a few recent examples of how focused and continuous quality improvement efforts improve the care patients receive.
Moving to a single Saskatchewan Health Authority is driven by this same commitment to improve patient care. We have learned from experiences elsewhere. Our vision is for integrated systems to enable nurses, doctors, and other health care professionals to coordinate their efforts to serve patients better. Arbitrary boundaries will no longer impede long-term care placement or emergency medical services so that the closest available ambulance will respond
When it comes to health care, our government’s record is clear. A single Saskatchewan Health Authority will work to ensure that this tangible and meaningful progress continues.
Sincerely,
Jim Reiter
Minister of Health
