DOCS SLAM WALL’S MRI PITCH
Doctors’ group, NDP and unions believe private clinics would drain resources
SASKATOON — Two health care unions, a doctors’ group and the NDP tore into Premier Brad Wall’s musings on user-pay MRI clinics Friday.
They said the move would drain resources from the public system, and they don’t believe the government could prevent public sector staff from switching to the private sector, as Wall suggested.
On Thursday, Wall said it’s time for the government to look at whether Saskatchewan people should be able to pay directly for MRIs and other diagnostic scans, which he said could cut wait times for all patients, whether they’re paying out of pocket or not.
One company, which the government won’t identify, has applied to have a diagnostic imaging centre licensed in Saskatchewan.
On Friday, Health Minister Dustin Duncan stressed the ministry is still reviewing that application, which arrived about three weeks ago. Wall didn’t know about that proposal when he made his comments, Duncan said.
The health minster didn’t take a position on the issue, but said he welcomes the “adult conversation” on the issue that residents want.
“As we work through this process there’s going to be a lot of debate, a lot of back and forth in terms of why we may or may not want to pursue something like this in the province of Saskatchewan.
“I think on both sides of the argument there’s a lot of pros and cons,” Duncan said.
“Obviously since yesterday this has (been) generating a lot of interest in the public. We haven’t yet had that conversation either at the caucus table or cabinet table, so certainly we have some questions to answer.”
NDP leader Cam Broten said the idea is “not the right path for Saskatchewan, not the right path for Saskatchewan patients and families.
“The idea that a family or any individual who has the financial resources, the extra thousand dollars, would be able to skip the line and get surgery faster than someone who doesn’t have the means to
“THIS HAS (BEEN) GENERATING A LOT OF INTEREST IN THE PUBLIC. WE HAVEN’T YET HAD THAT CONVERSATION EITHER AT THE CAUCUS TABLE OR CABINET TABLE, SO CERTAINLY WE HAVE SOME QUESTIONS TO ANSWER.”
DUSTIN DUNCAN
do that, isn’t right and it’s not fair to people in Saskatchewan.”