Healthcare divide between Alberta, Sask. persists post-pandemic: Doctor

Easier access to certain types of medical care has become more difficult for some residents in southwestern Saskatchewan, according to a Swift Current doctor.

Easier access to certain types of medical care has become more difficult for some residents in southwestern Saskatchewan, according to a Swift Current doctor.

"Particularly in the southwest we have a lot of folks that live very close to the Alberta border, and quite honestly it's a much shorter drive to a larger centre just on the other side of the Alberta border than it is to a lot of the bigger cities here in Saskatchewan,” said Dr. Francisco Garcia, a urologist based in Swift Current. “So a lot of folks did seek some of their care, specialty care or otherwise, in those communities.”

“It was back and forth, seamless, and we also had referrals that were coming from that side of the border to us, in Swift Current, that we were managing and dealing with and there was really no issues with that,” Garcia added.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Garcia said provinces put up “invisible borders” in healthcare. Many have since come down, but Garcia said a divide persists between Saskatchewan and Alberta.

For example, certain patients in communities like Maple Creek now have to make a much longer drive to Regina or other centres compared to those available in nearby Alberta.

“There were a lot of patients in our area that did seek their specialty care, surgeries and other procedures not far from their home, again 30 to 40 minutes away,” Garcia said. “Now many of them are on new waitlists that they have to restart their entire clinical experience and their clinical relationships.”

According to Garcia, the change has put added pressure on specialists like himself in Swift Current, for those who are able to get the needed care locally.