REGINA - Opposition New Democrats were back on the attack Monday as they highlighted the issues of a woman who has waited over 10 months to get diagnostics done to screen for potential breast cancer.
At a media availability at the legislature Monday, Opposition Leader Carla Beck and Health Critic Vicki Mowat stood with Nadine Baker to highlight her situation. It was noted that in March 2023, Baker’s family doctor had submitted a referral for diagnostic care after Baker began experiencing potential changes that could be breast cancer symptoms.
But Baker did not receive an appointment or update for 42 weeks after that. She finally did receive a phone call on Jan. 5 from the diagnostic radiology office that there were still no appointments available unless she was willing to travel to another community or out of province.
“I said yes, absolutely, 100 percent” said Baker. “The option I was given was Calgary. But they still don’t have an appointment — just asked if I would be willing.”
Baker said there are other women she knows about who have been waiting months for a biopsy or diagnostics. “I know I’m not the only one.”
She added it was a “constant worry” because her mother had gone through breast cancer, and she knew the importance of detecting and treating breast cancer early.
“It is absolutely inexcusable that Scott Moe and the Sask Party have let so many women in this province fall through the cracks without the care they deserve,” said Beck.
"Despite assurances from Moe’s Minister (Everett Hindley) that the average wait for diagnostic care is ten weeks, Nadine herself has been waiting for more than ten months… Women in this province are sick and tired of waiting. They are sick and tired of excuses. Saskatchewan is the birthplace of Canadian-style public healthcare. Good cancer care here at home should not be too much to ask. But again we see a government that simply cannot get the basics right, and they aren’t focused on the things that matter most to Saskatchewan people, to Saskatchewan women. They aren’t listening.”
Mowat pointed out that when Moe came to power as Premier in 2018, Regina had seven doctors performing surgeries for breast cancer patients. Today the number is three. She also said radiologists are in short supply and that the Regina Breast Assessment Centre only has a radiologist three days a week, and no patients are seen on Mondays or Fridays.
“Without adequate staff the number of mammograms performed each year has been trending downwards since well before the pandemic. Last year 10,000 fewer mammograms took place compared were performed in Saskatchewan compared to 2017.
The NDP also again slammed the Moe government’s decision to send the backlog of women needing diagnostics to the Calgary-based Clearpoint clinic, which they pointed out was a Sask. Party donor. “It’s very much a band-aid solution to the problem,” said Mowat.
Beck pointed out these were longstanding issues and that the government had allowed the situation to get to this point.
"They need to be accountable for waitlists of 10 months for not a screening mammogram, but a diagnostic mammogram when there's an indication of an issue. This is a government that appears to be allergic to taking responsibility for things that happened under their watch. They want to point fingers at everyone else and everywhere else. They need to fix this. This is simply unacceptable and Nadine and so many women like her in this province deserve better."
