The Chiropractors Association of Saskatchewan says a few changes could help alleviate the strain on the province’s health-care system.
As the province prepares to go to the polls, health care is top of mind for many. Indeed, according to a recent Angus Reid poll, three in five Saskatchewanians say it’s the most pressing issue facing the province.
This isn’t surprising. No other public policy issue has such a profound and intimate impact on our lives. The challenges facing the health-care system are by no means unique to Saskatchewan.
Service closures and disruptions in rural areas, long waitlists for surgeries and staffing shortages, the story is the same across the country.
Without a primary care provider, many people have no choice but to go to a walk-in clinic or the emergency room, placing undue pressure on an already stressed system.
Money alone isn’t a feasible solution. Health care is already far and away the largest expense for provincial governments, with this year’s budget in Saskatchewan including record spending of $7.6 billion. Taxpayer dollars are finite, so there are only so many that can be spent.
What’s more, Saskatchewan’s unprecedented population growth is complicating matters. Last year’s annual population increase was the highest in over a century of reporting annual estimates.
As a result, the provincial government is already trying to stretch its budget to cover desperately needed investments in education and infrastructure to accommodate the influx of newcomers.
Despite these constraints, there are two things the government can do to ease the pressure on the health-care system: use existing resources more effectively and make targeted investments in primary care that reduce costs further down the line.
By providing safe, accessible, reliable treatment for spine, muscle, joint nerve, and other musculoskeletal conditions, practitioners in the province help one in four adults achieve a good quality of life every year.
Critically, they can also lessen the burden on emergency services by addressing injuries and musculoskeletal health conditions. Back pain is the third most common reason for emergency room visits in Canada.
By proactively addressing the underlying causes, chiropractors can save people a painful and time-consuming trip to the emergency room, making space for those with genuine emergent needs.
The provincial government can dramatically reduce emergency room visits and improve Saskatchewanians’ health and quality of life by taking three simple steps.
First, chiropractic coverage for low-income residents needs to be reinstated. Saskatchewan is the only province in Western Canada that doesn’t provide some form of publicly funded chiropractic coverage for these residents, leaving them vulnerable to pain and missed days of work.
Second, chiropractors need to be allowed to order publicly funded musculoskeletal MRI and CT scans and a limited set of lab work. Doctors of chiropractic are extensively trained in these diagnostic tools and have the potential to save time and money by reducing unnecessary referrals to already overburdened doctors.
Finally, chiropractic services need to be included in provincial urgent care centres and further integrated into the primary care system.
An integrated model with primary care teams has seen success across Canada, and it would undoubtedly secure similar results in our province. Saskatchewan’s chiropractors are an under-utilized resource in addressing the province’s health-care challenges. They can do more, and they want to do more.
With a few policy tweaks, the provincial government can empower them to do so. It would be a win-win for all: better health outcomes for Saskatchewanians and less strain on our health-care system.
Dr. Jennifer Beggs is the president of the Chiropractors’ Association of Saskatchewan.
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