No, all that need to be done is to educate the public that the Emergency Department is not their family doctor and a prescription is not required for every ache, pain and ailment. Nor should it be used to get formula and diapers. As soon as people stop abusing the health system, every department will work very well as it is intended to do so. I would say, a service fee is far over due to cover administration costs. You may not stop the public from going to the doctors needlessly, but at least, the Health Boards could earn money for equipment and more staff.

We do pay a service fee...it's 50 bucks. but it's covered by most insurance companies, even Sask Health.

Is this $50 a hidden free somewhere because I have never payed anything when I have seen a doctor at the Emergency Department or Minor Emergency. I have never Paid Sask Health for anything. But maybe it's time for change.

???? how is this about a 50$ fee. all he talk about is to get a night walk in clinic???????????????. get that and you release the stress from the emergency at the hospital. how hard is it to understand?????

Mr. H. is right. If you're not covered by insurance of some kind (like some visitors), you pay $50 to see a doctor in a clinic. When you provide your SaskHealth number, the fee is automatically billed to SaskHealth. You don't see it at all.

And yes, I'd like to see a 24-hour walk-in clinic, too, but with the shortage of doctors and nurses we have already, it may be hard to find people willing to work a night shift or two a week in a private clinic. Aside from the clientele after midnight, working night shift is harder on the body, hour for hour, than day shift is and constantly switching from days to nights can seriously throw off one's health. There was a study done in the 80s on the subject of shiftwork. I'm not sure I could find it online.

Having a 24 hour clinic is not as easy to achieve as one would think. There is a general shortage of physicians in Saskatchewan and the Prince Albert Area is no exception. All the surrounding smaller communities don't even have doctors to see during normal hours and many travel into PA to see a doctor.

There are only 4 clinics in PA that offer a walk-in service: Supermed Walk In Clinic, PA Medical Clinic; South Hill Medical Clinic; and the West Hill Medical Clinic. These clinics are covered by physicians from these practices who work on a rostered basis primarily to cover their group's patients who connot get into the clinic. No other doctor or doctor group has any arrangement for their own patients. The doctors of the other practices and clinics in town do not cover their patients at night, on weekends, or over holidays. These patients rely on the 4 walk in clinics and the ER for any medical treatment outside of normal clinic hours.

Right now many of these clinics have seen a decline in the doctor numbers at their clinic groups and on many occasions have had to cut back the hours they provide a walk in service or close the walk in clinic when no doctor is available. Many people present to these minor emergency and walk-in clinics for problems that really do not need physician assessment or to get medication refilled whrn their family doctor is away or they cannot make an appointment.

While a 24 hour clinic may seem as a short term solution to the problem, one needs to address the social issue of people not understanding or recognising that many simple medical conditions can be managed at home without crowding the ER and burning out the current physician base in PA by abusing the walk in / minor emergency clinics.

It is time that the community not look to others to solve their problems but look at ways that they can be solutions to the problem.

Doc, so well said. If people would only use common sense, the heath system would work so very well. We all know the common cold lasts about 10 days, but for some reason, we go to the doctor by the 5th day wanting the magic pill to relieve symptoms. What did people do 50 years ago with the same cold symptoms. Pharmacists are a wealth of information and there are any over the counter medications the do the same as a prescription or maybe the kitchen cupboard.

I was at the vic with a freind that was bleeding from a previous operation i consider this a energency they were treating people that were drunk and for a common cold this is not the place for drunks i reported that one person was drinking to secuirty and nothing was done The staff their should not have to put up with this crap Sorry im off the topic yes their should be a 24 hour walk in clinic with armed security for they will need it if u think beleive me go sit at the vic any given night and u will be shocked what goes on their

Whenever there is significant injury and insurance interests, you will be denied timely diagnosis / timely medical care; Unless you have a bone sticking out of your body or a limb cutoff, and bloody, nothing is done to investigate your reason for pain; If you suffer an auto accident or work injury, it is unbelievable how you will be labelled a malingering faker, to fat or lazy to work. You will be returned to work undiagnosed on opiods, and told to work through the pain. When the opiods can no longer control the pain, you will be called non-compliant and adversarial. How is this possible? easy inject SGI or WCB in the ordeal, and you will be denied any medical care. Ask WHY doctors don't want to be involved in helping a injured worker or auto accident patient, it is because they already have experience with these corporations that operate on cost reduction, 5 yr wait for MRI; Really...
I encourage any driver to immediately go to SGI and request that they be removed from "NO FAULT" insurance and have the right to file lawsuit against other drivers. etc. REASON: you will be sent to one of the local physiotherapy centers were your complaints of severe unrelenting pain will be chucked into the waste basket, and no help will be forthcoming, then you will be labeled a faker out to abuse the system for free money. DENIED ANY HELP; What good would a 24 hr emergency centre be when the VIC Hospital and their emergency doctors can't even be bothered to investigate injury. Prince Albert needs a 24 hr trauma centre staffed with doctors who actually investigate a patients complaints.