Sask. to provide financial support to families with children travelling out of province for care
Sask. families who are required to travel outside of the province to access medical care for their children will receive financial support.
Health Minister Everett Hindley elaborated on the policy change while speaking with reporters on Wednesday.
“As a result of the meetings that we've had with families in consultation with health care providers, including the head of pediatrics here in Saskatchewan, we will be providing financial assistance for families that need to be referred out of province,” he said.
The financial supports will include up to $2,000 for families with children aged 16 and younger seeking out of province pediatric care.
“We're still working on the criteria itself and working closely with the health care teams,” he continued. “This is the first time that we've done this.”
The reimbursement will include expenses related to transportation and accommodations and will go into effect retroactive to April 1, 2024.
Hindley said that children will need a referral from a specialist and the treatment cannot be offered in Saskatchewan in order for families to be eligible for the supports.
The announcement comes after a long list of families have visited the legislature in the past several months – most notably to highlight the lack of pediatric gastroenterologists in Saskatchewan.
The Weber family was one such case.
The family highlighted the financial hardships they’ve endured while travelling to Toronto so that 16-year-old Zach Engen could receive treatment for his eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).
“This is one of the toughest years of our lives,” Zach’s mother, Alyssa Weber told reporters while visiting the legislature last month.
“We need help. We're trying to do it financially by ourselves, but we can't anymore.”
Hindley said the supports will help families deal with the pressures of seeking out of province care – while the government continues to fill vacancies at centres such as the Jim Pattison’s Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon.
“We're going to work very hard to make sure that that is fully staffed and we can provide as many services as we can close to home for kids in Saskatchewan,” he added. “Recognizing of course that there are some very highly complicated and complex procedures that won't be provided here.”
Pediatric referrals now join breast cancer testing as the two instances where the government will cover out of province travel expenses. It’s an acknowledgment that a shortage of specialists is creating a financial burden for some Saskatchewan residents.
- With files from Wayne Mantyka
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Toronto eliminated from PWHL playoffs
Toronto has been eliminated from the PWHL playoffs.
Information commissioner faces $700K funding shortfall, says system is 'overwhelmed'
Canada's information commissioner says her office is facing a $700,000 funding shortfall that could impact its ability to investigate complaints about government transparency and accountability.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Backlash over NFL player Harrison Butker's commencement speech has reached a new level
The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address.
Dabney Coleman, actor who specialized in curmudgeons, dies at 92
Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in '9 to 5' and the nasty TV director in 'Tootsie,' has died. He was 92.
Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.