I would like to let the Saskatoon Health Region know that your system is not working. Closing labs, hospitals, yanking ambulance services and forcing people to go to Saskatoon, is not the answer and again, it’s not working. The three hospitals in Saskatoon are overwhelmed and understaffed. It is not acceptable to have to wait five hours in emergency before being seen by a doctor. And this is with a referral from a family doctor. What happened to the care in healthcare? Where is the common sense? Has anyone taken the time to differentiate between the basics of needs and wants of the people who live in Saskatchewan? We need hospitals in rural Saskatchewan, we need doctors who take care of our parents and children. We need ambulances that are able to transport patients in a timely manner to the closest health facility which is not an hour away. This is what we need.

Now the latest news is the health region ran a deficit in 2009. Every time another service is closed and health care workers are laid off, this is the excuse that is delivered by seven “health officials.” Are you kidding me? Perhaps cutting management by two-thirds would be a great start. Perhaps instead of accepting a cheque for $200 million for another hospital, we could equip and staff the hospitals that we do have left in Saskatchewan. Maybe you could go home tonight knowing that you did the very best you could with what you have, for the people in your province and community. Maybe you could volunteer some of your time.

Care and compassion go a long way in this world.  Take care of each other.

Sincerely,

Robin Leuschen,

First Responder, Volunteer Firefighter, Chairman of St. Michael’s Haven

Cudworth