I read with interest the comments by columnist Murray Mandryk in the Feb 3, 2011 edition of "Opinion."
Mr. Mandryk states that the Sask Party is winning the battle over which political party can best be trusted to deliver health services to Saskatchewan people. This statement has prompted me to write to your publication today, as it was clearly not the circumstances I found while traveling the province last summer visiting 55 rural, small town and small urban centers.
The communities that I visited, with my colleague Andy Iwanchuk, told us how unhappy they were with the state of health care services for themselves their families and their community. Doctor shortages, closures of emergency services, closures of hospitals, reduction of services like laboratory and ambulance, inability to recruit not only doctors but other key health providers like nurses and special care aides, are all high profile concerns in the vast majority of communities that we visited.
Concerned citizens do not feel that the Sask Party is doing a good job delivering health services for them.
Local administrators such as mayors, reeves, councilors, business people, staff and the general public told us how rural Saskatchewan is suffering from the lack of leadership of the Sask Party government especially in health care delivery. High profile announcements like nurse recruitment targets, private surgical centers and helicopter medical services have not translated into better, more stable, accessible health care - especially in rural Saskatchewan.
The Sask Party government's handling of collective bargaining with health care providers was also a topic of much discussion on our tour. For Mr. Mandryk to say that the Sask Party gave "relatively generous settlements" to the 25,000 health care workers represented by CUPE, SEIU and SGEU is quite a stretch. Nine per cent over four years is not generous in anyone's definition. And to further suggest that this generosity avoided a strike is clearly inaccurate.
Essential services legislation removed the right to strike from collective bargaining. The heated debate around essential services legislation predicted very acrimonious bargaining and very unhappy workers. Mr. Mandryk and the Sask Party should not assume that there are 25,000 happy health care workers out there with this so called generous settlement. We did not meet any of them!
Not only did our rural health tour prove to me that the Sask Party is not doing a good job in delivering health services but the daily letters, emails, calls and visits to my office also tell that story. Saskatchewan citizens tell me that there is a depth of uncaring in this government seldom seen before, especially regarding senior care. This lack of caring is demonstrated from the premier's office, down to the minister's office, and into the various MLA offices who do so little to address the real concerns of their constituents. If they did, my job would be so much easier!!
These concerns of these constituents are a testament to a government that is superficial in its commitment to quality health care delivery. I hope that Mr. Mandryk sees below the thin veneer of supposed Sask Party success and sees the boiling discontent underneath.
