City councillors will be keeping the pressure on the healthcare file as the new council gets down to business – whether that’s a new or expanded Lloydminster Hospital.
“I think a number of pieces in there speak to, number one, compared to other cities of similar size, do we have the same resources in terms of hospital beds, emergency beds – all of those facilities? And the data says, no we don’t,” said councillor Michael Diachuk following the swearing-in of the new council on Monday, Nov. 18.
Diachuk said that through the mayor’s office, they will seek to have meetings with health officials to ask, “where are we at, and continue to keep the pressure on.”
“Does that mean a new hospital? I really don’t know.”
During the recent Saskatchewan elections, MLA Colleen Young noted that the hospital was “built for 15,000 people back in 1986 and has not seen significant expansion.”
The population of Lloydminster has doubled since then, and the hospital serves a region that has upwards of 100,000 people. The Lloydminster and District Health Advisory Council has a 15-point priority list that includes a permanent MRI unit, children’s unit, mental health, chemotherapy, the relocation of kidney dialysis, and more operating rooms.
Diachuk discussed the issue of recruitment and retention of medical staff and the role of the city to provide recreation and other services.
“How do we make sure that the city has all these wonderful things to offer – and it’s going to be a benefit for the children, doctors, and spouses to say that they want to continue to live in our community. When you build a city that has the amenities that people want, it’s easier to keep doctors in the city.”
Diachuk said he hears the calls from citizens, and the role of the city is to continue to lobby the health ministries. He noted Lloydminster serves a region of about 150,000 people.
“It’s top of mind. There is no arguing about that. We talk about it certainly as a priority in our Vermilion River Region Alliance Health Group. We had our MLA Garth Rowswell and we said, “What’s going on? What are you going to do about it?” We serve a region that’s about 150,000 people. This hospital is critical for everybody that lives around here and it’s not just people in Lloydminster. I know he gets it. I know Colleen Young gets it. But it’s a bigger issue that’s going to involve moving some other people within the governments,” said Diachuk.
