As the gears of government continue to grind, it appears a decision on the bid to acquire a CT scan unit for St. Joseph's Hospital may not be included in the upcoming budget.
The Southeast Health Committee has been working for the better part of two years to secure the piece of equipment for Estevan. In early 2013 the committee made an offer to the province, which would see all funding for the CT scan and the first two years of operation come from local sources.
Despite that offer, the committee is still waiting on a decision over one year later.
Committee chairman and Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig was in Regina last week for the annual Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities meeting. While in the Queen City, Ludwig and Councillor Greg Hoffort, who is also the executive director of St. Joseph's Hospital, met with Health Minister Dustin Duncan to discuss the matter.
Ludwig said Duncan informed him and Hoffort that the government is working to get parameters in place "because although some communities actually need this type of diagnostic (equipment), not all communities who may have the money to help need them, so there has to be a type of means test.
"He is going to nail that down, get that in place and hopefully by spring he is hoping to have these parameters in place and we can look at what we need if we don't already have it in place."
In an interview Friday, Duncan said his ministry is currently working on the policy and he hopes to present it to cabinet this spring.
"We need to know where we are going with a policy regarding diagnosis in the province," Duncan said.
"We know there is the need, but the question is, can we do it in a sustainable way and ensure the community can attract the professional people required to support it. There are a handful of regions without CT services and without a policy we'd have to continue with an ad hoc process."
The offer from the local committee to pay for a CT scan and two years of operation was initially made to the province in January 2013. Since then, they haven't been told no, but they also haven't been told yes leading to frustration and grumblings that politics are behind the lack of a decision.
Duncan acknowledged that politics are part of the decision, since other areas of the province may not have the financial wherewithal to match the offer made by the committee.
"If we put a policy in place that looked like the Estevan proposal, others may not be in a position to do that. The optics wouldn't be right," he said. "Sun Country isn't the only region with a gap in diagnostics, there are others, so what is the best way of doing it?"
The MLA from Weyburn-Big Muddy added that the issue boils down to two issues: getting a provincial policy in place and then to determine what the province can do and when and where they can do it.
"There is no (provincial) budget implications connected to the Estevan proposal so you may not hear anything about it in the spring budget but there will be a clear picture for the province and Estevan later this spring."
Although the wait will continue, Hoffort said he remains optimistic that the committee will eventually be successful in its bid.
"It is getting serious consideration, it's where it needs to be to get the decision made but it's taking longer than we'd like it to." Hoffort said. "They want to make sure they have a protocol in place because certainly we are not the only ones looking for improvements to health care.
"The longer it takes the more you start suspecting the proper answer isn't coming, but we'll remain optimistic and hope for a spring decision here."
