A rally was held in Yorkton Tuesday afternoon, to lobby for a return of the Microbiology Lab at the Yorkton Regional Health Centre.

NDP Health Critic Vicki Mowat says it starts with training more professionals to fill the staff shortages that led to its closure.

She says it’s been closed for too long.

“They had made a promise several months ago that this was a temporary cut, but as of now we still haven’t seen a reversal of this decision,” Mowat said. “We’re calling on government today to reverse that decision to honour their promise and to make sure that Yorkton Microbiology Lab services open up again.”

The Yorkton microbiology lab was used to diagnose critical illnesses such as staph infections, sepsis, meningitis, and postoperative infections.

Mowat notes it was recently closed due to staff shortages.

“The government needs to really prioritize recruiting and retention of healthcare workers across rural Saskatchewan. We have grown so accustomed to having a lack of services in rural Saskatchewan that they’re referred to as service disruptions, but what that really means is that local people don’t have access to the healthcare they need, when they need it.” she said.

However, Yorkton MLA Greg Ottenbreit says it’s only a temporary closure, and the situation should soon be rectified.

About thirty people turned out for a rally in Yorkton.

{CJGX}