While the uncertainty in rural health care is an ongoing concern in most Saskatchewan communities, Vikki Smart, Senior Manager for Primary Care in the Saskatoon Health Region, says the region is “strongly committed” to doing everything it possibly can to maintain a high level of patient care services in Wadena.
In an effort of obtain some answers to the concerns that have been circulating locally, Wadena News arranged a telephone interview with Smart on Friday, January 7,2012. When asked to talk about the rumor that Wadena is losing its doctors, Smart said what she can say is that Dr. Ullah is committed to staying until June 2012. Dr. Kiapway has signed a contract that extends into 2013 and while Erin Code, Wadena’s nurse practitioner has accepted a temporary position in Wynyard, the door is still open for her to come back.
“We have funding for three physicians and one nurse practitioner in Wadena and we are strongly committed to fulfulling that by working to maintain the health-care providers that we have as well as continuing to recruit,” Smart said.
Smart’s comments were welcome news as some health care workers became concerned mid-last month when they discovered that Wadena was not even listed on the region’s physician recruitment Web site. When Wadena News inquired, Smart said that Wadena was the victim of a computer glitch and the listing has since been amended.
“We want people to know that the Saskatoon Health Region is definitely actively recruiting physicians and nurse practitioners for Wadena. In face recruitment is a team effort and we have made it a priority,” Smart said.
Smart acknowledges that Wadena has had its share of hurdles in maintaining physicians and full-time emergency care, but says there are things on the horizon that suggest to her that could change for the better.
“While the situation has been unfortunate, it has caused us to take a closer look at all avenues to ensure that we are utilizing all the services that are available to us and already we are seeing some real benefits from doing that,” she said.
The local unrest spans back to last September, when one of three physicians in Wynyard left the community. When their tow remaining physicians expressed concern that they would be unable to fulfull on call duties for the emergency department, Wadena’s doctors stepped forward and offered to help fill the void. The result was what the region has dubbed as an “innovative solution,” whereby the doctors from the two communities would share on-call responsibilities for the two hospitals on an alternating schedule. This meant that Wadena’s emergency room would only be open every other week versus the full-time operations to which residents has become accustomed.
In a recent news release, Shan Landry, VP of Community Services, said that while the arrangement has posed its challenges, overall it has proven to be an excellent temporary solution to the problem.
“The biggest challenge has been keeping the public informed and we have attempted to use multiple channels to provide that information,” Landry said.
Landry says the region is working hard to find replacement physicians so full-time emergency services can resume. Which she does not want to raise false hope, the region is seeing some positive results.
“We have been speaking to physicians from around the world and while we do not have any confirmed recruits yet, we are hoping to have some positive news for these communities as early as March,” she said.
In the meantime, residents are asked to continue to do their part by restricting emergency room visitations. Landry says residents have exceeded expectations for using the emergency departments judiciously, coming in for emergencies rather than for primary care.
“We are still urging all residents who require immediate emergency care to call 911. For all other health concerns, they can continue to see their family physician or call the provincial HealthLine at 1-877-800-0002,” Landry said.
To see the latest emergency department schedule, residents can consult Saskatoon Health Region’s web-site www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca or call toll free 1-855-252-3416 for regular updates on the emergency department schedule.
By: Anne Sanderson, Wadena News
