“When our parents get sick, we should be able to rest assured knowing that they will receive the best care possible,” said Keith Jorgenson, Saskatchewan NDP Associate Shadow Minister for Health. “Right now, people with cancer are waiting months for scans before they can even start treatment. This is terrifying.”
Erin Neufeld says her 76-year-old father had a scan scheduled for this week but was informed yesterday that it would be cancelled.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority told the family that the machine has been closed since Dec. 23 and that after two weeks there is still no firm timeline for when it will be operational again.
Neufeld’s father has lung cancer and has already been waiting months for the PET scan before he can even start treatment.
“I am frustrated and angry for my father but couldn't sit quietly knowing there must be so many others anxiously waiting for answers,” said Neufeld. “That there is only one unreliable machine in the whole province seems beyond irresponsible.”
“Saskatchewan used to have the best healthcare in Canada and now we’re ranked last place,” said Betty Nippi-Albright, Neufeld’s local MLA in Saskatoon Centre. “After 18 years in power, the Sask. Party has broken our healthcare system, and they can't be trusted to fix it. We need change.”
PET scan closures have been an issue since the start of Scott Moe’s term as Premier. According to internal government correspondence from 2017 to 2019, Saskatchewan’s PET/CT scan machine has closed
numerous times owning to mechanical issues, delay shipments and staffing.
The correspondence is attached to this news release.
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