Saskatchewan will be doing away with regional health authorities in favour of one single health authority across the province.
Health Minister Jim Reiter announced Wednesday that he was accepting all the recommendations made by the Saskatchewan Advisory Panel on Health System Structure. In a news release Wednesday, the province confirmed it will consolidate all 12 existing regional health authorities into a single provincial health authority, one of the main recommendations of the panel.
Another recommendation from the panel is for the new health authority to be governed by a single, appointed board of directors. They also call for system-wide improvements including consolidating health system administrative support functions and some clinical services such as lab and diagnostic imaging, and the planning, dispatch and delivery of emergency medical dervices.
Prairie North Regional Health Authority, which covers the Battlefords and surrounding area, is among the RHAs impacted by the long-rumoured changes.
“One provincial health authority that is focused on better co-ordination of health services across the province will improve the quality of care patients receive,” Reiter said in a news release. “It will also reduce administration and duplication across the health system."
Reuter insisted in the news release that the changeover will not mean health services will be centralized in any one part of the province.
“This change represents a consolidation of administration, not a centralization of services. Our government remains committed to providing high-quality health services in every part of the province. Our goal is better co-ordination between the health services provided in different areas of the province.”
The advisory panel has acknowledged the changes are going to be significant and that the transition to a single province-wide PHA will take time. The province says work on implementation planning has already started and a comprehensive plan on implementation is being developed. The province anticipates the fall of 2017 as the start date for the new PHA to take over, but no specific date has been determined as of yet.
Reiter has pledged a smooth transition and that "our number one goal will be to ensure patients receive the same or better care."
The advisory panel is urging the province to take the time needed for the changeover.
“We recognize the changes we are recommending are significant,” advisory panel member Dr. Dennis Kendel said in a statement.
“The advisory panel encourages the provincial government and senior leaders within the health system to take the time required to ensure a smooth transition.”
