Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill says the province is working to address the staffing shortages plaguing the Regina Pediatric Diabetes Program. The staffing issues have caused some Regina parents to seek specialized care in Saskatoon. Cockrill said told Your Morning Saskatchewan on Monday the new arrangement would be the status quo in the short term. “The key goal here is that we are focused on restoring those services right here in Regina. This is not a final state,” Cockrill said. Last week, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said it had implemented a strategy to provide care for current patients in Regina, though still admitting some would need to access care in Saskatoon. “When you’re used to receiving care from a team here in Regina and then if you have to go somewhere else to another city further away to receive that care, that adds some inconvenience to your life and we understand that,” Cockrill said. “We’re taking a look at the physician complement, the nursing complement and getting that team back up to full strength eventually.” Speaking to reporters at an event on Monday, Cockrill did not provide a specific timeline as to when the issue would be resolved. “This is important to recognize that these services are not only offered by physicians, they’re also offered by our nursing teams on this team as well,” the minister said. “That’s why we’re going to take a look at the Saskatchewan Health Authority – at our nursing staffing complement on that team.” More to come…
