The Saskatchewan government is merging all of the province’s regional health authorities into one entity, Health Minister Jim Reiter announced Wednesday.
The move to a single Provincial Health Authority is expected to happen by the fall.
“One Provincial Health Authority that is focused on better co-ordination of health services across the province will improve the quality of care patients receive,” Reiter said. “It will also reduce administration and duplication across the health system. This change represents a consolidation of administration, not a centralization of services. Our government remains committed to providing high-quality health services in every part of the province.”
In a statement quoted by CBC, Danielle Chartier, the opposition NDP health critic, worried the move would mean “cuts to health care centres, cuts to frontline health care workers, and cuts to the care Saskatchewan people deserve.”
Saskatchewan implemented regional health authorities in 1997. Creighton and Denare Beach are part of the Mamawetan Churchill River Health Region, headquartered in La Ronge.
