To the Editor:
This week, I shared in the grief and frustration of Floyd Head’s family. Floyd had a heart attack in his home just a half a block away from the Preeceville Hospital, but it took seven hours to get him to Regina – too late to save his life.
That’s because the Preeceville Hospital, like so many others throughout the province, was locked. In June, the government shut down the Preeceville emergency room every second week, putting it on “bypass” in alternate weeks, forbidding ambulances from stopping there. Preeceville doesn’t have enough physicians to keep its emergency room open.
Hospitals with intermittent hours and understaffing are hurting rural families’ access to health care. It’s time for a review of rural health care, and a new strategy to meet the need.
We’ve heard from moms in Preeceville who are scared for their kids. We’ve spoken with seniors in Craik who are furious the government refused to let them keep their full-time doctor and their ER. And we’ve heard from families and community leaders who say the government is not taking the potentially deadly problem of rural health claw backs seriously. For families living in or near Central Butte, Assiniboia, Biggar and others, a review is long overdue.
Head’s son, David Head, will never know if his dad could have survived with quicker access to treatment – but he said no person should have an hours-long journey to get emergency care. I agree.
Making cuts and creating a toxic environment driven by John Black Lean in which health professionals are expected to do more with less – these things are not helping with the recruitment of physicians and nurse practitioners. It’s time to consult health professionals and put a new strategy in place for rural Saskatchewan so no one is far from 24-hour emergency care.
NDP Health critic
Danielle Chartier
