NDP and family call on province to find new pediatric gastroenterologist

The Saskatchewan NDP and a Saskatoon family are calling on the provincial government to bring a pediatric gastroenterologist to the province.

The province currently has no pediatric gastroenterologigists working in the health-care system. The last doctor working in that specialty wound down her practice earlier this year to leave Saskatchewan and pursue other opportunities.

As a result of the departure, Saskatchewan residents who need treatment from a pediatric gastroenterologist were left with no choice but to pack their bags and travel to places like Edmonton or Calgary to receive the treatment they need.

On Tuesday, the Saskatchewan NDP held an event just outside of the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon to call attention to the issue.

They introduced the media to Krista Reid, the mother of a nine-year-old boy who lives with Crohn’s disease.

Because there is no longer a pediatric gastroenterologist working in Saskatchewan, Reid said she had to seek care for her son Casten at the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton.

But the family got some bad news before they departed on the flight.

“In April, Casten went to the hospital with severe stomach pains. Casten could not be treated in the province and was sent to Edmonton to receive an official diagnosis, and was told to visit Edmonton and a specialist every two months,” NDP Health Critic Vicki Mowat said.

“But when calling to confirm the appointment, Krista learned it had been cancelled. Alberta Health told her that Saskatchewan won’t foot the bill.”

While they were able to see a pediatric gastroenterologist during their trip to Edmonton and Casten was prescribed medication, the family wasn’t able to schedule any follow-up appointments because their home province wouldn’t pay the bill.

“It was a shock finding out that he’s not going to have that follow-up care,” Reid said. “We won’t even get a chance to see if the treatment that he’s receiving is working, because we can’t get the testing done here in Saskatoon.”

Because there’s nobody to administer her son’s drugs in Saskatoon, Reid said she had to be taught by a nurse about how to do it at home.

“I was also supposed to be taught how to give him his medication in Edmonton when we returned in (June),” Reid explained.

“That also was quite worrisome, not being able to get his second dose on time. Thankfully, our doctor here in Saskatoon was able to scramble and do what she could to accommodate us and a nurse could teach me how to give him his medication.”

Reid said the entire situation has created a lot of stress for her and especially for Casten, who doesn’t really know what’s next for him.

“He’s having a lot of symptoms still to this day that are adding to his burden – especially to his mental health. When I found out we couldn’t go to Edmonton anymore, he started crying. He felt so frustrated and at such a loss, because he was looking forward to finding out if he’s getting better,” Reid added.

Reid said she hopes that by coming forward with her son’s story, they can get the Saskatchewan government to find a solution to help them and the families stuck in similar situations.

She said she hasn’t met with the health ministry or anyone from the provincial government about this matter.

The provincial government is currently working on a multi-year plan to add more than 1,000 new workers to Saskatchewan’s health-care ranks, with a $60-million investment attached. The plan has been criticized by the NDP, with opposition MLAs calling on the provincial government to focus on taking care of the medical workers already in the province.