REGINA – Premier Brad Wall announced in Moose Jaw Wednesday morning the hyperbaric chamber would indeed be moving over to the new hospital.
The province and Five Hills Health Region have been steadfast in their stance that there was no room in the new hospital for the chamber, but in recent months there has been a push by former patients and firefighters to ensure it remains in the Friendly City.
Retired nurse Margaret Springett was one of those concerned citizens who wrote the premier a hand-written letter.
“I’m not saying I was the cause, but it worked,” she said after she heard the news.
READ MORE: Hyperbaric chamber to stay in Sask. after all
“It is a big thing in Moose Jaw and this is the message that we got and we want to listen to the constituents,” said Moose Jaw MLA Warren Michelson.
The hyperbaric chamber can be used for a number of cases like anemia, cancer and acute carbon monoxide poisoning.
“Which is why we’ve said all along it has to be in a hospital or associated with a hospital,” said Dr. David Amies, a retired hyperbaric doctor and an advocate for keeping the chamber in the Moose Jaw hospital.
The NDP complained the new hospital was too small because of lean, but the premier flatly denies that.
“I want to be adamant about that. The region made this decision based on a small number of people who use this facility, who use the chamber. Period,” said Brad Wall.
The new hospital will open in the fall. The premier doesn’t know yet where the hyperbaric chamber will be placed. The cost to create the new space and continue running it hasn’t been determined yet either.
“We need the government to give us a budget for capital costs and the continuing operation of the program,” said Dr. Amies.
The government though, is counting on more support from this community – this time in dollars.
“The offers that we’ve had as a government from the firefighters and from the foundation and from local business people for example, to help pay for some costs to keep it here, we’re going to need that. It’s a tight budget year,” said Wall.
Moose Jaw is the only hospital in the province that has a hyperbaric chamber.
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