SASKATOON – When it comes to meeting wait time benchmarks, Saskatchewan rates are behind a number of provinces according to a report released by the Health Council of Canada on Thursday.
The report says Saskatchewan ranks last for cataract surgeries and seventh for hip and knee surgeries.
“Do we have every person who’s needing elective surgery having that surgery within three months–if that’s what they choose? No. There’s progress to be made,” said Bonnie Brossart, CEO of Saskatchewan Health Quality Council.
Brossart also said there are still long waits to see specialists in the province.
“We’ve made great gains, but we still have lots of work to do when it comes to timely care…primary care, and having access all across our province in a way that meets the needs of the Saskatchewan population.”
Brad Wall said that despite the ranking results, progress has been made over the past few years.
“In health care though there is always more work to be done. Absolutely. It’s why we’re piloting a brand-new homecare initiative in long-term care, it’s why we’re building new spaces in long-term care,” said Wall.
Council representatives said there is no jurisdiction in Canada that’s getting top marks in every area and this is partly due to an aging population.
“We found that in spite of doing 15 per cent more volume of hip and knee replacement surgeries…this past year, the wait time has increased for four per cent of the patients–in actual fact, we’re not meeting the provincial targets for four per cent of the population,” said Dr. Jack Kitts, Health Council of Canada Chair.
The report finds that about eight to ten years ago, provinces were able to reduce wait times. But in recent years, progress has stalled.
Local health care experts said they hope our provincial government’s investments in health care over the past few years will help Saskatchewan pick up the pace and reduce surgical wait times across the board.
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