An Estevan family is breathing a little easier today after learning the provincial government will provide funding for an out of country cancer surgery.
Jeff Lukye will be undergoing a radical and costly surgery in December at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
In an interview with The Mercury Wednesday, Jeff's wife Keri, said the cost of the surgery will be in the $200,000 to $300,000 range and they were hoping that the provincial government would pick up the bulk of the costs of the life saving procedure. However, she noted they were having difficulty obtaining a referral letter from Jeff's oncologist in Regina and it was looking as though the family would be forced to pick up the costs.
That all changed today when Health Minister Don McMorris announced during Question Period that a letter of referral had been received and the government would be stepping up to pay for the surgery.
"Mr. Speaker, anytime that there is out of country coverage, there is a process it has to go through," McMorris said during Question Period. "Specialist have to recommend or request this type of procedure outside of the country Mr. Speaker and as of (Wednesday) we had not received any referral.
"The ministry has been working on it, working with the physicians involved Mr. Speaker and I am glad to say that reference letter came today, the coverage will be approved."
Please see the Nov. 24 edition of the Estevan Mercury for more on this story including an interview with the Lukye family and Health Minister McMorris.
