The Sask NDP is calling out the provincial government following the release of data by Angus Reid that shows 50 per cent of Canadians either don’t have or struggle to see their family doctor.
NDP Shadow Health Minister Meara Conway says that while the numbers show a lack of access to doctors across the country, Saskatchewan’s situation is particularly bad.
“There are challenges across Canada, and that is Scott Moe’s response every time we bring this issue up is ‘well it’s bad everywhere’. Unfortunately for him, and the data backs this up, we are often well below the national average. When it comes to access to primary care, a family doctor, which I would argue is the foundation of health care, we are worst in the country.”
The data shows that 22 per cent of Saskatchewan residents do not have a family doctor and 41 per cent have difficulty accessing their doctor. The combined 63 per cent is the highest rate of people without access to a family doctor in Canada.
While a growing and aging population has been a factor in the increasing difficulty to access a family doctor, Conway says that planning by the government could have prevented the issue from escalating.
“We have the information that told us our population would be growing, our population would be increasing. In fact, we have a government that stands up in the legislature and beats their chest every time out population goes up. This has been their plan, their growth plan. And yet, we’ve seen no corresponding plans in health care to build up that capacity.”
NDP Rural and Remote Health Minister Jared Clarke says that the lack of family doctors, particularly in rural Saskatchewan, has driven up emergency room visits in bigger centres such as Saskatoon.
“This is not just a Saskatoon problem, this is not just a population growth issue here. It is a failure of the government across the province that is compiling into the emergency rooms in particular because people don’t have a family doctor, people don’t know if their local community hospital is going to be open.”
The NDP says they are consulting with healthcare providers, community leaders, families and patients to create their plan for the province’s health care system.
According to data in the survey, 63 per cent of Saskatchewan residents were also not confident they would be able to get emergency care in a timely fashion and 70 per cent are not satisfied with the provincial government’s performance when it comes to health care.
