Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has released a plan that aims to make it easier for patients to access and receive care in the province.
Moe says the "Patients First" plan seeks to reduce surgery wait times to three months and reduce diagnostic wait times to two months by 2028.
He says to achieve these goals, the province will expand diagnostic services and use more private surgery clinics performing procedures that are publicly funded.
The plan also says Saskatchewan will make virtual care visits available to all residents, but it will roll out to certain communities first.
It also says it will build more urgent care centres in Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw and North Battleford to lessen the strain on hospitals.
Moe says the province will continue to hire more health workers and increase training seats to ensure more patients are helped sooner.
"This is the start of the conversation, but I would say that this plan we're putting forward today is comprehensive," Moe told a news conference Monday.
"We have listened to people across the province, listened to patients, listened to families and listened to providers, and I would say this is a government and a health system that continues to listen to you and we have heard you."
Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck accused the Saskatchewan Party government of rehashing an old proposal, pointing to a plan in 2012 that also billed itself as putting patients first.
The 2012 plan had promised to connect all residents to a family care team with a physician. It also promised surgeries in less than three months.
Beck said staffing issues have made it difficult for Regina's Urgent Care Centre to stay open at all times. Staffing problems have also led to rural emergency room closures, and city hospitals are running at overcapacity, she added.
"We need big, bold change to get our health-care system out of last place," Beck said in a statement. "Scott Moe and the Sask. Party broke our health-care system and they can't be trusted to fix it."
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
