The City and RM of Estevan are continuing to be proactive when it comes to health care in the area.
Representatives from the two municipalities were in Weyburn last week for a meeting with members of the Sun Country Health Region's board of directors and administration. Their goal was to get answers on a number of questions regarding local health care and Sun Country's plans for the future.
Mayor Gary St. Onge said the sides had a good meeting and that some of their questions were answered and some weren't.
"They were quite receptive and they answered a lot of our questions, and some of the other questions they are going to try and get back to us with the answers," said St. Onge.
Among the topics dealt with at the meeting was the location of the new regional nursing home in Estevan. St. Onge said the group wanted to know if the City would have input on where the facility, which is currently in the fund-raising stage, would be located.
"We were assured that we would have a lot of input when the time comes," he said.
Another hot button issue is regional hospital status. A local advocacy group was formed last year with an eye towards having St. Joseph's Hospital declared a regional hospital. There is also a move afoot in Weyburn to have their new hospital, which is also in the fund raising stage, designated a regional hospital.
St. Onge said Sun Country is currently doing a study to see if they are addressing the acute health needs of the region and when that is completed in December, a clearer picture on which direction they might go is expected to emerge.
"We were trying to say that we need the regional status here. We heard that Weyburn is getting a new hospital and we were told the (provincial) government will not build it bigger than it is supposed to be," St. Onge noted.
"I think we were (satisfied) that something isn't going to happen behind our backs and that we will be right in there."
Not surprisingly, the doctor shortage in Estevan was also front and centre. St. Onge said they wanted to know why Weyburn has 14 doctors and there are only seven in the Energy City.
Although St. Onge said they didn't really get a clear answer, the delegation was told that Sun Country is attempting to recruit specifically for Estevan.
Looking to the future, St. Onge said he isn't sure where last Wednesday's discussions might lead. He said the City and RM will continue to support recruiting physicians and health care professionals for the area. He said they will also keep a close eye on Sun Country to make sure the area is receiving equitable treatment.
"We told them the concerns from the street, what people are saying, that they are favouring Weyburn over Estevan. If noting else they know we are watching all the time we're vigilant and we will continue to be vigilant."
