A provincial Minister assures that the move to carry out certain lab services in Regina rather than at the Yorkton Regional Health Centre is only temporary, and that those services will return to Yorkton.
“It’s temporary. It’s not a permanent step,” said Everett Hindley, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.
Seniors and Rural and Remote Health told Yorkton This Week in an interview Friday. “... What we’re doing here is temporary ... The full intention is this is not a permanent situation.”
Hindley said both he, and Minister of Health Paul Merriman have been made keenly aware of local concerns over the change in services by local MLA Greg Ottenbreit, and other MLAs in the region.
Hindley said the shift in services to Regina has been a response to a temporary shortage of Medical Laboratory Technologists and Medical Laboratory Assistants that is impacting microbiology processing in Yorkton - a sub-segment of the overall Lab Services conducted at the Hospital.
The result of the staff shortage has meant “a number of unfilled shifts,” said Hindley.
However, Hindley said it is his understanding a number of staff will be returning after scheduled leaves, and efforts to recruit new staff are also ongoing. He said the expectation is once more staff are in place, services will return to Yorkton.
Hindley said he has been in contact with Yorkton Mayor Mitch Hippsley, Ottenbreit and others to explain the situation, and assure it is temporary.
Hindley added Yorkton remains an integral cog in the province’s overall health care plan, noting funds to plan a new hospital have already been committed by the government. He said a new hospital’s “got to have a fully function lab and it will have.
