MDHCF makes a good case for Moosomin CT Scanner
July 2, 2021, 2:27 pm
The Moosomin and District Health Care Foundation has written to Saskatchewan Health Minister Paul Merriman, asking for a CT scanner for the Southeast Integrated Care Centre in Moosomin.
The SEICC is an important medical facility serving a large area.
Moosomin is an important centre with a large trading area, larger than some centres that have CT scanners, with 55,000 people living within 100 km.
Moosomin is a centre for medical care that, like so many things about Moosomin, punches above its weight. Moosomin has 10 doctors, is providing some medical education through the University of Saskatchewan, and has a proactive health care foundation ensuring that the hospital and doctors have the equipment they need.
Strong arguments
The Health Care Foundation makes a number of very strong arguments in its letter to the minister:
1) The health care foundation argues the CT scanner will save lives by allowing strokes to be diagnosed more quickly. The proper treatment for stroke has to be initiated quickly, and both the health care foundation and local physicians believe that being able to diagnose strokes quickly in Moosomin with a CT scanner will literally and undoubtedly save lives.
2) The Health Care Foundation argues the SEICC in Moosomin should have a CT scanner because the population it serves is larger than some centres that have or are getting a CT Scanner. While Moosomin itself has only about 3,000 people, there are 55,000 within a 100 km radius of Moosomin, compared to 45,000 within a 100 km radius of Estevan and 19,500 within a 100 km radius of Melfort. Hard to argue with that. Moosomin is a smaller centre but covers a larger population. Not only that, but with potash mining, manufacturing, and the energy industry in the area, it’s important to have a well-equipped hospital in our area.
3) The health care foundation argues that a CT scanner at the SEICC would benefit not just patients in the Moosomin area, but would take the pressure off Yorkton and Regina, and will provide economic payback to the province in terms of reduced ambulance costs as the diagnosis can be made locally, and reduced rehabilitation costs for people who suffer a stroke as they can get more timely treatment and are less likely to require extensive rehabilitation.
Government has no reason to deny request
The provincial government has no good reason to deny the health care foundation’s request.
Moosomin has doctors who say a CT scanner is needed and will save lives. SEICC has an employee who is already trained to work with CT scans.
The Moosomin and District Health Care Foundation has said that it can help fund the CT scanner because of the pressing need. I personally think it should be funded by the province—a lot of those tax dollars flowing into Regina flow from the potash mines, manufacturers, oil industry, pipelines and agriculture producers in the area which would directly benefit from a CT scanner in Moosomin.
Moosomin has an airport expansion underway that will work in tandem with the CT scanner to provide better care for stroke and trauma patients.
Local residents shouldn’t be second class citizens
Everyone in Saskatchewan deserves good health care. The 55,000 people within 100 km of Moosomin deserve the same level of care as the 19,500 within 100 km of Melfort.
Dr. Erika Roets says a CT scanner in Moosomin will save lives.
Why in the world would the provincial government not approve that scanner?
If it will save lives, we should have this piece of equipment as soon as possible. We shouldn’t be second class citizens.
