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home / 世界杯决赛2022

sask. man waiting two years for brain surgery 

the dulles are among the nearly 35,000 people on the province’s surgical backlog list as health centres continue to face pressures.

by jeremy simes

apr 13 2022
read time 3 minute read
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gillian dulle’s eyes began to well with tears as she explained the struggles she and her husband brennon have faced while waiting for him to receive brain surgery.
with their patience wearing thin, the dulles took their concerns to the legislature — hoping the government could provide them some answers.
“i think everybody has capacity and resilience to deal with certain circumstances, but there’s a point in time where that capacity runs out,” gillian told reporters after the issue was raised in question period. “we’re at the capacity running-out point.”

the dulles are among the nearly 35,000 people on the province’s surgical backlog list as health centres continue to face pressure under short-staffed conditions.

gillian said they have been waiting for two years. brennon needs a pre-operating procedure, but they haven’t heard when that will take place.
brennon, who has severe epilepsy and previously received two surgeries, said his situation seems to be uncontrollable.
“i can’t get the medical help in saskatchewan i need,” brennon said. “it’s very hard because gill is working two jobs right now.”
brennon dulle is concerned that he has been waiting so long for brain surgery and his wife if working two jobs to support the family.
brennon dulle is concerned that he has been waiting so long for brain surgery and his wife if working two jobs to support the family. troy fleece / regina leader-post
during question period, health minister paul merriman said he was committed to meeting with the dulles after learning about their concerns.
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merriman told reporters he has heard from many families about challenges related to surgeries or prolonged program delays.
he acknowledged it took the ministry roughly 60 days to respond to the dulle’s concerns, which he said isn’t the best response time.
“we are still receiving a lot of volume of people,” merriman said. “we’ve actually allocated some extra people to get on the correspondence to make sure we’re responding in a quicker time in a more timely manner for the patient’s perspective.”
during question period, the ndp charged situations faced by people like the dulles is unacceptable and not sustainable.
health critic vicki mowat told reporters the backlog is a result of a system that’s overwhelmed and facing staffing challenges.
“it’s not only that the government hasn’t prioritized getting the surgical backlog under control, it’s certainly part of that, but it’s also about bigger system pressures,” mowat said. “this is the problem with letting your health-care system get to this point. there aren’t quick fixes, but what we can do is make sure staffing is available.”

merriman said the province is spending an additional $21 million to allow 7,000 additional surgeries this year , adding this is a problem in many provinces across canada.

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he said 96 per cent of scheduled surgeries are being completed. doctors prioritize surgeries based on whether they’re emergent, he added.
“we respect their decisions on who gets prioritized in the operating room,” merriman said. “that’s why we’re also moving some surgical procedures into the privately-run, publicly-funded area so we can get some more surgeries done, such as some of the minor surgeries.”
brennon dulle, joined by his wife gillian, in the rotunda of the legislative building on april 12, 2022. “i feel like that compassion was lacking when we came here,” said gillian.
brennon dulle, joined by his wife gillian, in the rotunda of the legislative building on april 12, 2022. “i feel like that compassion was lacking when we came here,” said gillian. troy fleece / regina leader-post
saskatchewan has also embarked on a recruitment and retention plan to see more employees working in the health system.

despite the need, many health workers have expressed they are burned out — something brennon has noticed.

“my doctors are very stressed out. very, very stressed out,” he said. “they are very overworked and frustrated.”
gillian said she felt there was little compassion when she came to the legislature.
“with all the stress that they themselves are under, one thing we’ve always found is that we’ve received compassion and care from doctors, nurses, paramedics … the whole nine yards,” she said. “i feel like that compassion was lacking when we came here (tuesday).”
jsimes@postmedia.com 
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