Released on March 23, 1998
Health Minister Clay Serby today announced that renal dialysisservices are being further expanded to the East Central Health
District to improve access for residents of rural Saskatchewan.
"I'm pleased to say that we've made significant progress in developing
satellite dialysis services for residents on the eastern side of the
province," Serby said. "Health districts and the Kidney Foundation
have selected Yorkton as the site that will meet the needs of the
greatest number of patients. This is a further example of how we are
investing in the health of Saskatchewan people by bringing vital
services closer to home."
The East Central Health District and the Regina Health District will
jointly develop the Yorkton satellite. It's expected to be ready for
operation by the fall of 1998. Dialysis patients will be able to
access services on an outpatient basis at the Yorkton Regional Health
Centre while being supervised by specialists in Regina.
The Yorkton satellite is the second of two new sites being
established. Renal dialysis services are also being set up at the
Tisdale Hospital to serve residents of north-eastern Saskatchewan.
That site will be opened later this spring.
The Yorkton site was chosen through a collaborative process
involving the East Central, North Valley, Assiniboine Valley and
the Touchwood Qu'Apppelle health districts in conjunction with
the Kidney Foundation and the Regina Health District.
"We are extending renal dialysis services further into rural
Saskatchewan and reducing the need for travel to Saskatoon and
Regina," Serby said. "This will significantly improve the
quality of life for a portion of dialysis patients in rural
areas. The two new sites will complement the home units in
Regina and Saskatoon, the satellite site in Prince Albert and the
Alberta-based satellite in Lloydminster."
Dialysis is necessary to keep patients with endstage renal
disease alive. Endstage renal disease is a condition in which
all, or almost all, kidney function has disappeared. Patients
usually require three treatments a week, each lasting 3 to 4.5
hours.
Last week's provincial budget contained an additional $370,000 to
establish the two new sites, as part of the government's total
new investment in Health of $88 million.
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For more information, contact:
Jeff Brown
Communications and Public Information
Saskatchewan Health
Regina
Phone: (306) 787-4088