Carol Baldwin
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Wakaw Recorder
Before the last election, the Saskatchewan Party assured the public, a new breast health clinic would be operational by the end of the fiscal year on March 31. Regina’s new Breast Health Centre is set to hold its grand opening on April 14 and will accept patients starting on April 23.
“This is really good news for the women in Regina and southern Saskatchewan,” Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill told reporters on Tuesday, March 25.
Cockrill said the centre will be staffed with 13 full-time employees. He said equipment and IT systems are currently being set up, and staffing is mostly complete.
“As this project has progressed, there’s [sic] been a few changes along the way. …We know there’s been challenges around wait times for women in terms of being able to progress through that process – getting the right diagnostics, getting a biopsy, understanding if surgery is required. This is going to be huge for women in southern Saskatchewan.”
Former Health Minister Everett Hindley said when it was first announced in 2024, “This new breast health centre will provide a wide variety of services including diagnostic imaging, biopsies, specialist consultations, patient education and navigation to other on-site post-treatment therapies and rehabilitation.”
To deal with the incredibly long waiting lists, the province began a program in late 2023 which allows patients to receive out-of-province breast cancer diagnostic services at a clinic in Calgary and be reimbursed. “It’s completely unacceptable that women have to fly to Calgary for basic access to health care in this province,” NDP health critic Vicki Mowat said. “Healthcare should be available when and where you need it. No woman should have to leave the province just to get a breast cancer screening. This isn’t just inconvenient — it’s dangerous.”
Cockrill defended the out-of-province care program, saying it took pressure off the local system and cut down wait times. About 472 patients had diagnostic procedures in Calgary, the province has said, bringing wait times down to a clinically recommended target of three weeks or less.
Leaked Saskatchewan government emails, reported on March 11, say some breast cancer patients chose not to go to Calgary for treatment because they could not afford it. The emails, provided to the Opposition NDP, include correspondence between an official with the Saskatchewan Party government and a patient at the beginning of March.
The official says in the email exchange, “I completely agree with you that some people can’t participate in this initiative because they don’t have the funds available to pay the costs upfront or they don’t have a reliable vehicle to get them to Calgary and can’t afford airfare.”
“Unfortunately, the (doctor’s) opinion does not change the fact that there is a maximum of $1,500 reimbursement regardless of the circumstances,” the email says.
“It’s creating a two-tier system in the birthplace of Medicare,” Meara Conway, the NDP critic for Rural and Remote Health, responded.
“We expect 1,600 women a year to go through this Regina Breast Health Centre. That is significant,” Cockrill said in defense of government actions. “If we’re serious about improving access to care, we shouldn’t be ideological about it,” he said.
In an important step in early cancer detection, more Saskatchewan women are now able to access breast cancer screening as of January 1st. Previously, breast screening eligibility ages were 50 to 74, but this is gradually being lowered as part of a phased approach over the next 18 months to include ages 40 to 49. Starting January 1, women between the ages of 47 to 49 became eligible for a screening mammogram. The next phase will begin on June 1, 2025, when breast screening will be open to women between the ages of 45 to 47.
A breast screening mammogram is a low-dose X-ray of the breast that plays an important role in finding breast cancer early. Most healthy women should have a screening mammogram every two years. To be eligible, women must be the appropriate age, and: have no breast symptoms, such as lumps, discharge, or skin changes; not have breast implants; not be in active follow-up for breast cancer; and have been cancer-free for five years.
Women who are the eligible age can book a mammogram at any of the eight screening locations in Saskatchewan. A healthcare provider’s referral is not needed to book an appointment.
Expanding the breast eligibility age to 40 will increase the eligible population by approximately 76,000 women. The Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, the Saskatchewan Health Authority and the Ministry of Health have been actively planning for the increased demand for breast screening mammograms, including capacity, to ensure a smooth and efficient implementation.
