Lanigan, Sask., demands return of emergency services after nearly two years

A rural Saskatchewan town is demanding the return of its emergency services after nearly two years of going without.

Back in May 2020, the emergency services at Lanigan Hospital were put on pause. At the time, the province said the closure was necessary to support its pandemic response.

Another reason for the closure in Lanigan, located 117 km east of Saskatoon, was that the hospital is attached to a seniors lodge, which put them in a vulnerable situation during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Lanigan town council said it was told the move would be temporary, and that services would resume once the community had a second doctor. But that hasn't happened.

In a letter to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), the town of Lanigan wrote that it's had two physicians around for some time now, and it's demanding the SHA secure a date for when its emergency room will reopen.

It said residents from in and around the community continue to voice their concerns about the lack of emergency services in earnest. 

Tony Mycock, mayor of Lanigan, said the town's ambulance workers have been run off their feet, transferring patients to Humboldt and Saskatoon. 

"We can't even go get a tetanus shot in town. We have two really good doctors, and we're not utilizing those doctors," said Mycock. 

He said the population is rising in Lanigan, but not having an emergency room could stunt that growth. 

"People move back to the community because we had a hospital. And now we don't. And are we going to lose those people that are going to need to go to the bigger centres to be able to access health care?"

Mycock said he has regularly sent letters to the government to no avail. He said he is frustrated with the lack of communication.

NDP say rural Sask. is being ignored

The opposition NDP is standing behind the town of Lanigan, saying residents in and around the community deserve a timeline.

"It's not just affecting Lanigan. It's the surrounding communities that rely on emergency services in this area for their health care. And it's deeply disappointing to see that government hasn't prioritized this community," said Vicki Mowat, NDP critic for health.

The NDP said the province needs to step up and meet with Lanigan officials. 

"Ultimately these folks answer to the people of their communities and the people of their communities are incredibly frustrated with this government for not following through with their promises, for ignoring rural Saskatchewan and for taking them for granted," Mowat said.

Mowat said that not only are many residents unable to travel for hours to access urgent care, but there are industrial projects in the Lanigan area. This, she said, is a recipe for disaster that can no longer be ignored.

Government response

Meanwhile, Premier Scott Moe said it's been a challenging two years for the health-care system. But he said the government is committed to reopening all rural services paused by the pandemic.

"We have a plan. It's a four-point plan, but it's much more complex and it's much more intricate to ensure that we do it," Moe said during the legislative assembly in Regina on Wednesday.

"To those members from Lanigan ... we have their MLA, the deputy premier, the minister of finance that has put the funding behind that plan. We're going to bring those services back to these communities. We're going to do so as quickly as we are able to."

However, the province did not give a timeline for when Lanigan, or any other communities similarly impacted, would see emergency services resume.

Everett Hindley, minister for rural and remote health, said health-care workers are hard to come by right now. But he said he expects to meet with Mycock to discuss Lanigan's health-care situation. 

The communities of Broadview, Wolseley, Leader, Biggar, Preeceville and Unity have also experienced closures and service disruptions that left residents with limited or no access to emergency care.