About 50 people rallied at the Saskatchewan legislature at noon today, the opening day of the spring sitting, to tell the government they are unhappy with a plan to cut health services in Craik.
Chanting “keep our doctor, he wants to stay,” residents of several communities served by the doctor in the small town about an hour northwest of Regina said they have already lost emergency services and don’t want to lose their physician, too.
The doctor’s contract expired Jan. 31 and the residents believe the Five Hills Health Region hasn’t reached an agreement with him because it wants to consolidate all services in nearby Davidson, which is located in Heartland Health Region.
According to the Five Hills website, Craik has a full-time nurse practitioner, long-term, respite and palliative care beds, lab and X-ray services and ambulatory care.
Hilton Spencer, reeve of the Rural Municipality of Craik, said there has been a doctor based in the town for 110 years and that should continue.
Craik mayor Rick Rogers said this battle began in 2012 when Craik lost its emergency services.
He said a few days later a young person died after an accident just 500 metres from the hospital because responders had to wait for the STARS ambulance. They were told the facility wasn’t able to accept emergency patients.
Rogers said 6,000 vehicles pass the community each day on busy Highway 11, and the volunteer fire department responds to many serious accidents.
“A stroke of a pen could change it back,” Rogers said of restoring emergency services.
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Spencer noted that the doctor at the Craik facility serves 4,600 patients from 24 communities.
“We need health care restored back in rural Saskatchewan,” he said.
Contact karen.briere@producer.com
