The devastating new figure from Angus Reid — tied for last in the country among major provinces — is made worse by 57 per cent reporting having a difficult time accessing emergency care and 56 per cent reporting it was very difficult or impossible to get an appointment with a medical specialist.
“We hear it every day — healthcare here is worse than it’s ever been and Scott Moe has no plan to get us out of last place,” said Keith Jorgenson, Saskatchewan NDP Deputy Shadow Health Minister. “People don’t have access to a doctor and that’s really scary — it also puts more pressure on emergency rooms that are already overrun or closing without warning in rural communities.
“Scott Moe and the Sask. Party drove healthcare into last place and they can’t be trusted to fix it.”
On Sunday, the Gardens Community Health Centre in Regina shut its doors due to a physician shortage, stranding 5,000 people without a doctor. For months, the Saskatchewan NDP has been calling on Moe and Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill to intervene to keep the centre open.
“The Sask. Party once touted this centre as the future of healthcare,” said Meara Conway, Saskatchewan NDP Shadow Health Minister. “Clearly, that future is looking very bleak with this incompetent government in charge. They have no plan, they are ignorant to the chaos on the frontlines in our hospitals and they openly gaslight and fight with workers rather than collaborating on real solutions.
More people in Saskatchewan than in any other province — 44 per cent — reported that the care cancer patients receive is not very good or terrible.
“Early detection saves lives — yet women across Saskatchewan tell us they can’t even get in the door,” said Jacqueline Roy, Saskatchewan NDP Shadow Minister for the Status of Women. “Women are missing breast-cancer screenings and biopsies, pap tests, and pelvic-pain assessments because they can’t access a family doctor or gynecologist.
“Others don’t even know new cancer-screening protocols exist because the government hasn’t properly informed the public.”
The Saskatchewan NDP continues to consult on delivering big, bold change in healthcare — people can get involved at YourCareYourSay.ca.
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