On numerous occasions in 2025, the Davidson Health Centre operated with only virtual physicians available. The centre is the only place where patients can be stabilized between Regina and Saskatchewan.
“When a hospital on one of Saskatchewan’s busiest highways is left without an in-person doctor, it’s not just inconvenient — it’s dangerous,” Beck said. “We learned yesterday that two-thirds of Saskatchewan people don’t believe emergency care will be there for them if and when they need it.
“Scott Moe is the reason we’re in this mess — 18 years of the Sask. Party and we’re in last place in healthcare and we hear every day that things have never been worse.
“The people of this province don’t deserve this. A Saskatchewan NDP Government is going to deliver the big, bold change needed to fix public healthcare. We will get to work on Day 1 and won’t stop until every person in this province has access to quality primary and emergency care close to home.”
Beck and Saskatchewan NDP Associate Shadow Health Minister Keith Jorgenson joined Davidson’s Volunteer Fire Chief Cory Dean at the town fire hall on Friday.“Whether it's a heart attack, fire or car accident, we're the ones that get called to it,” said Dean. “There have been lots of times that I know of personally that both ambulances were out on calls and there's no doctor in town so you know in the back of your mind if something goes down, you know that you're going to get the call to go and assist with it in it. That's stressful.”
Dean says emergency calls to the Davidson Fire Department have more than doubled over the past five years, yet medical resources and emergency services have failed to keep pace.
“Highway 11 doesn’t stop. It’s a busy, busy piece of road and it’s a vital highway,” Dean said. “That’s a lot of what’s happening and people think it’s just the community but it’s not. It’s the whole area, a huge area with a lot of people and I would like to see more provincial funding for rural departments like ours.”
Jorgenson said the healthcare system is at a breaking point and what is being held together is only due to the sheer will and work ethic of people like Dean.
“Cory and every other frontline worker — and all of us who depend on them when we need it most — deserve a government that has their backs,” Jorgenson said, adding, “This hospital is vital for anyone traveling between Regina and Saskatoon.
“For crash victims, having it open can mean the difference between life and death. Yet the Sask. Party has proven incapable of recruiting and retaining doctors to keep it properly staffed, putting peoples’ lives in danger every single day.”
Beck said a Saskatchewan NDP Government will invest in emergency care along Highway 11 and right across the province.
“We’re consulting broadly right now and developing solutions to clean up Scott Moe’s healthcare disaster — we know he’s not interested in fixing his mess, and would rather take the easy way out by moving to two-tier American-style healthcare where only his wealthy friends can pay to jump the line.
“We can get back to being healthcare leaders in Canada. It really is time for change.”
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