Sask. health region amalgamation met with urban optimism, rural concern

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Bluesky
• Share on X
• Copy Link

Florizone is optimistic the new management structure will help address issues that cross boundaries of the current 12 health regions.

better reporting

Sask. Health Authority directed to report ER service disruptions more frequently

10h ago

Babies at risk

Whooping cough exposure at Victoria Hospital

11h ago

CRIME

Sentencing date set for woman guilty in Battle River RM animal neglect case

11h ago

He pointed to overcapacity issues at Saskatoon hospitals as an example.

“When you look at the problem, it’s easy to draw a conclusion that the hospitals are where the problem resides. But in fact, it’s the community level. It’s the local community, wherever the patient has arrived from,” he said.

Florizone said a new, unified management structure would be better equipped to get care to people before problems progress to needing a hospital bed.

“We will no longer be concerned about boundaries. We will be working together as one,” he said.

ROOM FOR RURAL SASK?

A province who knows all too well about forming a singular health region is Alberta.
 
They did it back in 2008 to little fanfare in rural communities.

“(Those communities) were definitely underserved,” said Danny Smaiel, former board member for the Lakeland health region. “You lose input and you lose that local contact.”

Smaiel, who lives in Lac la Biche,  doesn’t believe the amalgamation will work in Saskatchewan.

“It’s been proven time and time again that super boards aren’t effective,” he said. “It’s funny, if you look at Alberta, because they flip flop every few years.”

The province’s former premier, the late Jim Prentice, ran on the platform to bring back health regions in the 2015 election. Prentice was defeated by Rachel Notley, who’s kept the system status quo.

“It’s all about governments having a notion in the public that they’re doing something,” Smaiel said. 

“However, it never works out right for them because they ignore the rural voice.”

Smaiel said what small communities such as his own  have done to give themselves a voice is create a health commission for advocacy and fundraising purposes.

“Unfortunately, they don’t have any authority, but it’s still a voice,” he said. “The main purpose is to raise funds to get health equipment because the funds usually go to the cities, which is really sad.”

– With files from 650 CKOM’s Bryn Levy and JT Marshall.

Email news@ckom.com

Twitter @CKOMNews