Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan leader Ken Grey made a stop in Yorkton Monday morning to call on the provincial government to move forward with a new hospital for the city and region.
“I was in Yorkton a few weeks ago when I learned about the state of your hospital,” said Grey during a press conference in front of the Yorkton Regional Health Centre.
Grey said on his previous visit he was told wards have be shut down “for weeks on end with maintenance issues.”
The state of the hospital is an issue not just in terms of serving the health needs of the region, but plays a role in staff retention, and attracting new health care professionals to the city, added Grey.
Grey related that the local community raised money a few years ago toward getting a new hospital project off the ground, adding “the provincial government seems to be a little slow” in coming up with its share of funding “to get the project under way.”
Grey said he wants to see a funding announcement for a new health facility in Yorkton when the province releases its budget Wednesday, adding if it is not local residents “can be sure the Progressive Conservative Party will be campaigning for a new hospital in the 2020 election.”
On a broader basis Grey said he anticipates health care will be an issue when Saskatchewan goes to the polls next year, adding concerns about other health care facilities such as the hospital in Weyburn, and the ability to best utilize staff across old health region boundaries are among concerns he has heard while talking to voters.
