REGINA - Today, Official Opposition Leader Carla Beck and Rural and Remote Health Critic Matt Love were joined at the Legislature by Jill Kakoske. Together, they called on the Sask. Party government to fix the health system that even people like Jill - experts known the world over for helping families get care - can’t navigate.
“Jill helps parents across the world navigate health system hurdles and she can’t even get her daughter a doctor's appointment in Saskatchewan. I think that says a lot about the state of healthcare under Premier Moe,” said Beck. “Any mother just wants to see their kids healthy and happy. Jill has made it her life to fight for her Evie, and it’s still not enough to get her daughter good medical care in Saskatchewan.”
Jill started sharing her parenting journey on social media after her seven-year-old daughter Evie was diagnosed with autism. She has since amassed a global following, helping over a hundred thousand parents across the world navigate different health systems. Yet despite her advocacy and expertise, she cannot even obtain the most fundamental medical services for her own daughter here in Saskatchewan.
In January, Evie’s family doctor and pediatrician closed their practices. Her family doctor pleaded with four colleagues to take on Kakoskes but none could accommodate the family. Evie’s pediatrician referred her to a waitlist with an unknown wait time for a new provider.
The Kakoskes have been instructed to visit emergency rooms for Evie’s primary care needs in the interim. Jill worries that Evie will have to endure a sixteen-hour wait in an emergency room like she did just weeks ago, something Jill says is completely inaccessible for a child with intensive sensory needs.
“Despite helping others all over the world find support for their kids, I can’t even get the most basic services for my own child right here in Saskatchewan. It doesn’t matter how much research I do, how many emails I send or phone calls I make, there’s red tape, dead ends and waitlists every step of the way,” said Kakoske. “Our healthcare system has been crumbling and my cries for help have fallen on deaf ears.”
“After 16 years of Sask. Party mismanagement, our healthcare system is headed in the wrong direction,” said Love. “The Sask. Party has closed hospitals across the province, driven up wait times and chased over 600 health workers out of Saskatchewan. The longer this out-of-touch government is in power, the longer families will wait for care.”
-30-