By Ryan Pilon

Wakaw in search of health-care future

Jan 26, 2011 | 5:13 AM

About 250 residents of Wakaw and the surrounding area gathered Tuesday to voice their concerns to the Saskatoon health region and their MLA.

The town's only physician is leaving at the end of the month and there's no permanent replacement for her yet.

“I think a lot of people are frightened, a lot of people are anxious, and certainly, there’s a lot of anger,” said Patti Mitchell, a concerned resident.

“People are very upset, because this is a community of elderly people. And if we lose our doctors, this isn’t just a hospital issue, it’s a doctor issue. If we lose our doctors, these people are going to move out of here, and it’ll kill the town,” said Wilf Boechler, another resident of Wakaw.

Shan Landry, the vice-president of community services with the Saskatoon Health Region, said they are trying to recruit a full-time replacement, but it's not easy to find doctors wanting to work in a small town.

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“Particularly those who are looking for a lifestyle which may not entail as many hours of on-call as other family physicians did,” said Landry.

The health region has secured the services of a locum physician, which is a doctor who temporarily fulfills the duties of another doctor. The locum will work in Wakaw until the end of March. The region has also recruited two nurse practitioners on a full-time basis.

However, Wakaw will need a permanent doctor once April rolls around. If they don’t get one, the region isn’t sure what services the Wakaw Hospital will be able to provide.

rpilon@panow.com