Viewpoint

Sask. Party commits to College

By Rod Gantefoer

Recently, various members of the faculty from the College of Medicine have wondered if there is the political will in this province to support a College of Medicine. I would like to respond to that challenge.

On August 23rd, at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Party Leader Elwin Hermanson and I made an official commitment to build a new integrated Health Sciences Facility at the University and to double the current budget for the College of Medicine. 

We made this commitment because we believe a key part of the future of health care in Saskatchewan is the training, retention and attraction of health care professionals.  We believe that an integrated Health Sciences Facility will be a fundamental component of a successful health care system as well as an excellent post-secondary education system. 

Saskatchewan must have the capacity and facility to not only retain but to train and recruit more doctors, nurses and other health care professionals.  The province is currently in the midst of a severe shortage of critical front line staff, including doctors and nurses.  The NDP government has known about this situation for a number of years, but have done very little to address this important issue.

Another key component that will help build an active and viable health care system in the province is the crucial (but rarely mentioned) issue of being able to attract an ongoing and significant amount of research funding.  This will provide the advanced health care facilities that will, in turn, attract and retain specialists from a wide range of health disciplines.  New facilities will also complement the Canadian Light Source that is now under construction at the University.

The future of the College of Medicine depends on a significant and immediate commitment of public funds from the provincial government.  Time is of the essence.  Senior officials within the College as well as the President of the U of S have been talking about the difficulties facing the College with increasing urgency. There is now concern expressed that the College may even close down altogether. Other issues and challenges facing the College will also have to be met. We are hopeful that the ongoing dialogue between the College, University and Saskatoon District Health will be successful. They must however, be premised by a long term funding commitment from the Government of Saskatchewan. 

The Saskatchewan Party is committed to rebuilding the College of Medicine and re-establishing the University of Saskatchewan as a leading medical research center in Canada.  This initiative combined with the construction of a new Health Sciences Facility, and the completion of the Synchrotron project will go a long way to re-establish Saskatchewan and Saskatoon as a major center of scientific and medical excellence in North America. 

As Health critic for the official opposition Saskatchewan Party, I have spent considerable time over the past two years meeting with health professionals, health district officials, medical educators and researchers, and the general public in an effort to learn everything I can about the complex and diverse health care system in the province.  I am convinced that a strong, high quality, efficient health care system can be achieved in Saskatchewan.  But to reach that goal there must be a comprehensive plan with consistent timelines and tangible goals put in place.  Cooperation and input from all stakeholders will also be required.  The provincial government must provide the leadership and the direction to implement that plan. 

The Saskatchewan Party has a vision for the future of Saskatchewan and a plan to re-build our health care system.  That plan was presented to the Fyke Commission on Medicare and is available on our website at www.skcaucus.com

An integral part of that plan is a new Health Sciences Facility and support for the College of Medicine.  We will continue to work with all people of Saskatchewan to help make the health care system and our province the best that it can be.

Rod Gantefoer is MLA for Melfort Tisdale, and is Official Opposition Health Critic.