The Saskatchewan NDP says women needing mammograms and other diagnostic care have been referred to Calgary clinics, but they have had to decline because of the cost.

According to a leaked email from a Health Ministry official which was handed over to the NDP, says, “This initiative is completely voluntary and there have been patients that have chosen not to go to Calgary due to costs.” The maximum reimbursement for the Calgary breast diagnostics is $1,500. A separate leaked email tells a patient that some people can’t participate because they don’t have the funds to pay up front or they don’t have a reliable vehicle to get them to Calgary and can’t afford airfare. Shadow Minister for Rural and Remote Health, Meara Conway, believes women shouldn’t have to travel to Calgary for mammograms in the first place. Instead, the funding for the private Alberta company should go toward hiring more healthcare workers and increasing services in the province.

Last month, the Sask Party government renewed its contract with Canadian Surgery Solutions, Ltd, which is a division of Clearpoint Health Network. Conway points out that Clearpoint’s subsidiary, Surgical Centres Inc., has donated $16,500 to the Sask Party since 2016 and she adds that the province has been lobbied by Clearpoint, through former Finance Minister Kevin Doherty, who is now a lobbyist through his firm Prairie Sky Strategies.

The provincial government has previously stated that patients identified as eligible and willing to travel to Calgary will receive diagnostic services based on their urgency, as determined by clinical evaluation. Those requiring urgent care will receive priority access, either within Saskatchewan or at the Calgary facility, depending on availability. All medical expenses related to the diagnostic procedures are covered by the government.

The emails are here:  Alberta Emails