REGINA – “This is a big step forward for patients in southern Saskatchewan, said health minister, Dustin Duncan after arriving at the Regina General Hospital Tuesday morning by STARS helicopter.
However, the excitement surrounding the flight might have been overshadowed by the news that just this week STARS air ambulance in Manitoba has been temporarily suspended, following a “critical incident” in which a woman died.
“To date, STARS in Saskatchewan has operated over 600 missions; we haven’t had a critical incident to this point,” said Minister Duncan.
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Duncan is waiting for more details from an ongoing investigation in Manitoba, but he says he’s not worried about the program – run independently – here in Saskatchewan.
“We are very confident in the service that STARS provides here in the province. We have seen excellent service to our patients, timely service to our patients. We haven’t had anything that would raise any flags,” he said.
For now, he is celebrating the fact the helipad is ready for service – and basically on time.
“There’s a lot of different issues as you can see, putting a piece of equipment like that on top of a functioning hospital. So it took a bit of time to make sure it was done right, and an occasional delay, but I don’t think there were any excessive delays,” said Keith Dewar, president and CEO of the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region.
The helipad will save between 15 and 20 crucial minutes in transportation time.
“Having been down there and having received the patients that get brought in by STARS helicopter or EMS, we’ve seen a pretty profound effect and definitively some improved outcomes and definitively some lives changed,” said Dr. Terry Ross, STARS Regina Base medical director.
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