Letter to the Editor: Town of Eston needs a full-time physician

The following letter was submitted to us by Eston resident Lori Ries. She believes that the Town of Eston needs a full-time physician. We are happy to help by sharing this. Her hope is to encourage others to allow their voices to be heard.

Hon. Jim Reiter
Room 204, Legislative Building
2405 Legislative Drive
Regina, SK S4S 0B3

August 5, 2020

Dear Minister Reiter,

I am writing to express my concern over the status of health services currently in Eston, Saskatchewan. I am grateful for the efforts of not only your ministry but all employees of Saskatchewan Health Authority as we face the COVID-19 pandemic yet I feel there are still problems outside of that which need to be addressed as well. We have been without a permanent physician in Eston since January 1, 2020. We do have a full-time nurse practitioner and have had locums intermittently however the need for a permanent physician in our community is urgent and critical.

The current population of Eston and the RM of Snipe Lake combined as of 2016 was 1,457 people. But this is not enough to warrant a full-time physician? Why not? When I look at other Saskatchewan communities with similar populations, such as Oxbow or Wilkie, they have similar populations with no hospitals and yet they have physicians… I am unclear as to why there is a different approach for some communities than others.

We live in what could be considered a remote rural area, the nearest hospital and emergency services from the town of Eston are 60KM and 95KM, respectively. We need to have a physician in our community, it is a matter of survival not only figuratively but literally. Consistency in health services is a necessity but also a right for all citizens in Saskatchewan yet in Eston this has not always been the case. I would like to know when we are getting a permanent physician, what you and the ministry are doing to facilitate the process for our local committee and what your long term vision is to ensure consistent services for the residents of Eston and area. The community of Eston needs to know what the future of physician services and health care looks like or as all people do when faced with fear and uncertainty, they start to look elsewhere for service and tend to think only of what they can do for themselves. This approach is fine for the people who are healthy enough and financially stable enough to look elsewhere but it is the marginal members of our community who suffer with a lack of service.

Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns and I do look forward to your reply.

Kind regards,
Lori Ries

CC: Hon. Warren Kaeding, Minister Rural and Remote Health
Ken Francis, MLA Kindersley
Eston and District Healthcare Committee, Verna Thompson and Wayne Sinclair