Post by : Meena Ariff

In Regina, approximately 5,000 patients are now on the lookout for new family doctors due to the unexpected closure of the Gardens Community Health Centre this past weekend. The clinic, which offered various family health services, shut down on Sunday after failing to recruit enough physicians to sustain operations.

This closure highlights the persistent challenges Saskatchewan faces in obtaining primary healthcare, with doctor shortages continuing to impact communities statewide.

Patients voiced their distress over losing access to care so suddenly. Kate Malagride, 29, who had been receiving anxiety treatment at the clinic since its inception in 2018, expressed her worries about finding a new physician to manage her prescriptions. “It was comforting to have that consistency, and now it feels a bit alarming not knowing my next steps,” she shared.

Vanessa Bourlon, 38, depended on the clinic for her two children, both of whom are autistic. “I’m at a loss. Our doctor has been with us for so long and knows our entire situation,” she remarked.

Tammy Heland, 36, stated that the closure severely disrupts her treatment plan for ADHD and celiac disease. “This isn’t merely an inconvenience; it’s disastrous. I can’t even turn to a walk-in clinic for my medications,” she lamented.

The clinic chose not to provide comments regarding the closure reasons.

When opened in 2018, the centre was allocated substantial government funding aimed at improving community health services and minimizing emergency-room wait times, although the province has yet to disclose the complete funding details.

The Opposition NDP criticized the government for its management of the closure. Health critic Meara Conway remarked that Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill had been aware of the looming risks for months without intervening, stating, “5,000 individuals woke up this morning without primary care access.”

In response, Cockrill said the province is tackling the shortage by onboarding more doctors and hiring nurse practitioners who can provide similar services. He encouraged residents without a primary care provider to reach out to available nurse practitioners.

Conway countered that enhancing nurse practitioner roles wouldn’t sufficiently fill the gap created by the clinic’s closure, suggesting that better compensation to retain doctors or temporary staffing with nurse practitioners could have been viable solutions.

Cockrill reiterated that the government’s long-term objective is to ensure every resident of Saskatchewan has a primary care provider by 2028.

#Canada News #Regina Clinic #Health News