Murray Wood: Saskatchewan NDP might be better off with a new name
While Carla Beck has been trying to bring the Saskatchewan NDP closer to the centre, Murray Wood says the federal NDP ha...
An agreement that allows Saskatchewan patients to undergo breast cancer diagnostic procedures at a facility in Calgary has been extended into 2027.
The Government of Saskatchewan first launched the agreement in November of 2023 in an effort to reduce long wait times. Since then, the government said the number of patients in the province who are awaiting urgent diagnostic breast biopsies has dropped by more than 87 per cent. As of March 13, 831 Saskatchewan patients have been referred to the Calgary clinic, with 746 of those patients having already completed the diagnostic procedures.
Read more:
- Saskatchewan lowers age for women eligible for screening mammograms
- Saskatchewan’s new mobile mammography unit will start screening patients in January
- Newlywed to newly diagnosed: A young bride’s breast cancer battle
On Monday, the province announced that the contract with Canadian Surgery Solutions has been extended to March 31, 2027 “as a temporary measure to ensure patients continue to have timely access to urgent breast cancer diagnostics while maintaining recent improvements in Saskatchewan’s health system.”
The government said patients who are eligible and interested in making the trip to Calgary will be triaged based on urgency and availability in order to ensure those with the most urgent needs receive care more quickly, though some have raised concerns about the travel costs associated with the out-of-province services.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority, meanwhile, is focused on recruitment and system improvements in order to perform more procedures within the province, the government added.
Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said there has already been some progress made in reducing wait times within Saskatchewan through the hiring of an additional breast radiologist and the opening of a breast health centre in Regina.
“Extending the contract allows us to protect this progress and keep options open for patients to ensure they receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time,” Cockrill said in a statement.
Richard Dagenais, the health authority’s interim vice-president for clinical and support services, said the out-of-province program plays “an important role” in making sure patients in need of diagnostic procedures have access to care within a reasonable time frame.
“Patients can be confident that Saskatchewan is taking all necessary steps to ensure their care is not delayed, while we continue to strengthen capacity within the province,” Dagenais said in a statement.
