Province scrambles to replace cancer specialists
On the heels of Saskatchewan losing two gynecologic oncologist specialists, the provincial government says it is “very concerned.”
Patients of the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency’s Saskatoon clinic were alerted to the departures of Dr. Christopher Giede and Dr. Anita Agrawal in a letter issued on Oct. 17 by Dr. Monica Behl, the vice-president of medical services and senior medical officer with the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency.
Health Minister Jim Reiter said Thursday he was “very concerned” about the departures, in part because it is a highly specialized area.
“You only have a few in the province, so when you suddenly lose a couple, that’s a huge percentage,” he said.
Officials say arrangements have been made to ensure patients will continue receiving care in a timely manner, and the provincial health authority is currently working with Saskdocs to fill the vacancies.
Reiter said locum doctors will be covering the positions until March, as a “very aggressive recruitment campaign” takes place.
NDP Leader Ryan Meili said the departures are “going to leave the province underserved with that important service” and said it was “deeply concerning.”
He also said that in the past two years, the wait times for specialized services increased by 30 per cent.
“The numbers are rising and rising rather quickly,” he said, noting the province seemed unaware of the issue.
“We need to know how (the provincial government) is going to make sure they’ve got the specialists in place,” he said, adding that should include a plan on how to keep Saskatchewan’s medical graduates in the province.
Reiter said he wasn’t sure where Meili was getting his numbers from but said, “his overall message is right, though, the wait times are too long.”
“We’ve made some changes this year. They had increased over the last few years.
“This year, we’re showing provincewide, average wait times are down about 15 per cent, so it’s moving in the right direction,” he said, adding the issue is “frustrating,” but that the province has increased recruitment and expenditures to bring more specialists to the province.