Letters: Health Ministry misleading us on breast screening and hirings

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A March 13 article in the Leader-Post accentuating the Health Ministry’s failure to provide adequate diagnostic services for breast cancer is one of two recent articles demonstrating the ineptitude of Premier Scott Moe government’s management of the health-care system.

While the Health Ministry noted this spring’s opening of the new Regina Breast Health Centre, it failed to mention the dismal record of breast screening and care services in Regina that is a result of inadequate operating resources for physicians and diagnostic and care staff.

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This was not because of a lack of a building. Perhaps Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill should explain why adding adequate staffing waited until 2025.

Also, in the March 12 edition of the Leader-Post, the government lauds it plan for health hirings it says will lead to 400 full-time equivalent positions. This sounds impressive.

However, the government fails to mention that approving funding for full-time equivalent positions is only useful if those positions are, in fact, filled and if the total number of staff working actually increases by the number.

Along with the “approved” positions, it may be instructive for the Health Ministry to provide the total number of nursing, diagnostic staff and emergency room physician positions in each category that are vacant.

George Peters, Regina

Central Library already meets needs

It is noteworthy that the proposed demolition and rebuild of the Regina Central Library is still being referred to as a “renewal”. Most of the people I’ve asked to define renewal have responded with the word “renovation.”

Despite being assessed as “structurally sound” at least twice during the last 10 years, the central library was described by Regina Public Library Board representatives at a recent executive committee meeting as being at “end of life.”

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Rather than incurring the expense of the much-needed repairs and refurbishments that would extend that life, the RPL board has decided on the more costly option of a total teardown and rebuild.

Seemingly, it is not enough for this building to merely house text books and audio books, CDs and DVDs while also providing public-access computers, meeting spaces, concerts, a digital media studio, a film theatre, an art gallery, the Prairie History Room and multiple programs for all age levels.

Apparently, the “21st Century Library” must also be an agent for the “revitalization” of the downtown core.

Supposedly, one of the main reasons for requiring a new building is the need for a greater amount of space. But the proposal for expansions or additions on the central library’s west side has been rejected, whenever put forward.

It’s sad to think that the central library’s epitaph will likely be the words from Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell: “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”

Shawne Arzab, Regina

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