Melfort council supports looking further into building a heliport at the hospital – but it wants to ensure the Saskatchewan Health Authority is on board.
The Municipality Health Advocacy Committee asked council to declare their support for the further investigation of the project, which rough estimates place at $365,000. Council did so at a special meeting March 15.
“This resolution that we passed today is strictly exploratory,” said Rick Lang, Melfort mayor. “It’s to explore the idea of the viability of developing a helipad and the need for developing a helipad. At this point in time, we’re committing no finances to it.”
Coun. Trent Mitchell asked council to add a caveat to the support it’s giving the committee: making sure the Saskatchewan Health Authority would support the heliport. The majority of council supported that addition.
“We wanted to make sure that the endorsement from the Saskatchewan Health Authority was in place before we undertake any real investigation into the feasibility of putting the helipad in place,” he said. “We don’t want to go through a lot of work to determine, yes, it’s feasible, and then for them not to support. Let’s get the support up front, make sure it’s a priority for them.”
Coun. Doug Terry was the only council member to vote against supporting the heliport – not because he’s against one, but because he’s concerned the Municipality Health Advocacy Committee has lost focus on its mandate to work towards getting enhanced diagnostic equipment like a CT scanner.
“To me, I’m just afraid that this might take priority and have everybody running towards the helipad and forget what we were trying to do to begin with,” he said. “I’m just saying let’s not put this on the plate as a priority. Let’s hold off and let’s get the committee back to what they’re supposed to be doing and we can look at this later.”
Terry’s concerned that by asking for a helipad, it sends mixed messages to the Saskatchewan Health Authority about the diagnostic equipment, which was promised by the provincial government back in 2010.
“We haven’t changed our mind but we’ve put too much on our plate. Let’s go back to the main thing we were supposed to be doing to begin with, is my opinion.”
Lang said he respectfully disagrees with Terry’s concerns.
“I see this as complimentary to that, not in opposition,” he said. “I see that if you’re going to increase diagnostics and bringing in, potentially, more health services, that this is part in parcel in bringing in more health services.”
The mayor added that if a heliport could shorten travel times in a situation where seconds count, it’s worth investigating.
