Everett Hindley, Saskatchewan’s health minister, says he wants women facing long wait times to know the government takes this issue very seriously. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

By Nicole Garn, CKOM News Staff

‘Not acceptable:’ Sask. health minister addresses long biopsy wait times

Oct 26, 2023 | 1:16 PM

The Government of Saskatchewan is well aware of the long wait times for ultrasounds and biopsies for women facing breast cancer.

Those wait times affected Regina’s Lindsay Rogers, who waited two months for an ultrasound after finding a lump and is still waiting for her biopsy.

Everett Hindley, Saskatchewan’s health minister, told 980 CJME the government is doing what it can to address the issue.

“It’s a life-altering event and it weighs very heavily in your mind. As a patient or a family member, that’s something that you want to see get dealt with as quickly as possible,” he said.

Hindley said he agrees with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, which said the long wait times stem from the COVID-19 pandemic and remain a problem due to staff shortages. But, the minister added, that doesn’t mean it’s something the government won’t work to correct.

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“It’s not acceptable to us. We want to ensure that people do get the care they need when they need it, so we’re working very hard to fill those vacancies,” said Hindley.

Saskatchewan’s Healthcare Recruitment Agency is tasked with recruiting specialist staff like medical radiation technologists and specialized breast radiologists, which are in high demand across the country.

“In the case of Regina right now, we’ve secured some locum service, but we do have a number of vacancies that we need to fill,” the health minister added.

“The other part of it would be on the training side. We recently added some medical radiation technologists training seats for that particular program.”

But Hindley said he knows this isn’t an overnight solution. He said these small changes will help over the medium and long term.

He said conversations will continue between the Ministry of Health and its partners in Advanced Education to determine what training seats should be added and how to fill them.

The health authority offered more overtime work to nurses to make up for the shortages, but Hindley said he knows that isn’t a permanent solution either.

“We’re grateful for all the work that our staff are doing in the health-care system, but we understand there are limits to how much people can work,” he said.

NDP wants change now

Vicki Mowat, the Saskatchewan NDP’s health critic, has been advocating for women with breast cancer for years.

“It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month right now, and we’ve heard the government talk before about supporting this cause. But what they really need to do is to take action to reduce wait times. Timing is critical in these situations,” she said.

Mowat said she thinks the government isn’t doing enough when it comes to recruiting and retaining essential staff.

“We need the government to be staffing up as quickly as possible to address these issues. They’re not doing that, and that tells a big story about what their priorities are,” said Mowat.

The health critic said she thinks more women might start seeking out-of-province care if the situation doesn’t improve.

“Sadly, we’ve seen people turning to private sector or out-of-province care in a desperate attempt to get the care that they need (and) that this government is not providing to them. At the end of the day, the Government of Saskatchewan has a responsibility to provide for the health care of the people here,” she said.

Mowat has been advocating for earlier screenings for women who are 40 years old, as the current recommended age to begin screening is 50.

“I’ve asked about it in committee a number of times. We still haven’t seen movement on this,” she said.

Hindley said the government will be listening to the recommendations from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care on lowering the screening age.

He said it’s an “active conversation.”