Residents in the Sun Country Health Region are receiving good, high quality health care services for the most part, and most people receiving these services are happy with them - but there is always room for improvement, as there is with any service where human beings are involved.
One of the toughest issues that Sun Country is facing is a doctor shortage, and not just in rural communities but even in the City of Weyburn itself.
As CEO Marga Cugnet said recently, it used to be that doctors were able to find fellow physicians who could take over their practices if they retired or moved on to a new community; now that's no longer the case, and the health region is scrambling to find new doctors who will move to Weyburn and help provide their expertise and services.
Part of the difficulty right now is that some seniors, not to mention the many new residents who have been moving into this and surrounding communities, can't get in to see a doctor for the simple reason the ones in practice now are not taking new patients.
This is a situation that cannot be allowed to exist in a community as vibrant and active as Weyburn - not to mention the lack of a maternity ward at the hospital. With many new families moving here, and couples starting their own families, this again is a crucial service that is needed in Weyburn.
One possible lead that may help the city somewhat was a recent recruiting trip to India; a return trip will be made in July to find out how serious the doctors are about coming to Canada, and from there some may end up coming here (with most going to the big cities, of course).
One way the OR (Operating Room) can assist with reducing surgical wait times in Regina is by having more and more surgeries done here; a number of specialists have been coming here, and hopefully this will continue to improve particularly when the government finally announces that Weyburn is getting a new hospital.
With our own MLA serving as the current Health minister, should this not be a help to the Sun Country region? Not that he would unfairly favour his hometown over other communities but he should know we really need a new acute-care hospital here.
The bottom line is, there are many issues still needing to be addressed in Sun Country, for the benefit of the residents of the southeast.
