As I provide supportive care to my wife in her struggle with pancreatic cancer, I get many opportunities to observe the HealthCare system in which I once worked.
I'd like to share some observations (1/8) To date I've been able to provide most of the supportive care my wife needs by myself at home. However she is registered with Palliative Home Care Services & and I am very impressed with the range of services they offer (2/8)

Key Audit Matters for @SKGov in 2023-24
Key audit matters are those matters that took a lot of audit effort because of the possibility of significant errors. They include matters that are complex and have a high degree of estimation. (1/6) Individual and corporate tax revenue, which provided $5.8 billion in revenue in 2023–24 and accounts for 28% of the Government’s revenues. Estimates of individual and corporate tax revenue involve several inputs and assumptions.(2/6)

When I reflect on events last week, this posting by @SaskParty on June 20 prompted me to think deeply about both positive & negatives forces in play in our province. As a preface to my commentary, please read this information about @carolynstrom
(1/6) carolynbroststrom.ca/blank-1

https://twitter.com/SaskParty/status/1803942601571340543

In this article about her history, her values and her goals in life, Carolyn explains what has prompted her to seek election as an MLA. She explains that, as a Registered Nurse, she is used to advocating for people and experience would be an asset in the Legislature (2/6)

The recent media reports about very low occupancy in Saskatchewan hospitals & subsequent acknowledgement of flawed data driving these reports raise some interesting questions about governance & management of healthcare services in our province (1/12) When I and two other Saskatchewan citizens recommended transition to pan-provincial governance & management of our healthcare services , there were 13 Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) with Boards, CEOs & senior management teams (2/12)

Today, on Father's Day, I took some time to remember my father, Aldred Kendel. He was born in 1911 and married my mother, Alma Welke, in 1935. I was their third child born on May 24, 1946. We grew up on a small farm about 15 miles north east of Langenburg, Sask
(1/12) Though my father had no formal education beyond Grade 8, he was a brilliantly creative man. He taught himself how to weld and used this skill to build many impressible things including some of his own farm equipment and many household gadgets (2/12)

A primer on effective regulation of professionals
For each profession, the provincial government adopts legislation creating a regulatory agency. It also adopts regulations under that legislation (1/7) For example, The Medical Profession Act, 1981 is the enabling legislation that establishes the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan as the regulatory authority for the medical profession. (2/7)

If you are concerned about @SKGov funding of unregulated "teachers" , read this:
FOR THE SAKE OF STUDENTS
A REPORT PREPARED BY DR. DENNIS KENDEL ON CURRENT AND FUTURE TEACHER REGULATION IN THE PROVINCE OF SASKATCHEWAN SEPTEMBER 2013

@CateSask (1/6)saskatchewan.ca/-/media/news-a… Prior to the implementation of recommendations in my report, the STF served concurrently in advocacy & regulatory roles for teachers in Sask. This created conflicts of interest. I recommended that these roles be vested in distinct agencies as they are for doctors (2/6)

Saskatchewan’s Legislative Assembly Act, section 76.3, explicitly states that no person shall bring any weapon into the Legislative Assembly building or its precincts.

https://twitter.com/DennisKendel/status/1796964822996918301

This prohibition applies to members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), staff, visitors and security personnel, unless they have been authorized by the speaker to carry weapons for security purposes. The penalties include fines, imprisonment or a combination of both.

Could nurse practitioners fill the primary care gap? - The Globe and Mail theglobeandmail.com/canada/article… In Saskatchewan, most NPs are employed by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) where they provide publicly-funded services at no charge to the patient. However there are some NPs who work privately and bill patients directly for their services (1/4)

@AlexanderQuon @IJFMedia I want to thank @AlexanderQuon & @zakvescera for their persistence in obtaining & publicly sharing information about the failure of @SKGov to follow expert medical advice that might have saved many lives.
I will share some additional perspectives (1/15) @AlexanderQuon @IJFMedia @zakvescera @SKGov Most physicians focus on the health of individual people and medical treatment of them when they are ill.
Medical specialists in Public Health focus on the health of the entire population in a defined region (2/15)

The recently ratified funding agreement between the Government of Saskatchewan & the Saskatchewan Medical Association will create potential for significant enhancements in primary healthcare (1/8) It will create opportunities for family physicians to transition from Fee-For-Service compensation to compensation models like Capitation. This will be good news for recently qualified family doctors who just want to be funded for practicing , not running a business (2/8)

The role of teachers in our society is no less vital than the role of doctors.
@SKGov has reached a tentative agreement with @SMA_docs for physicians but has not reached an agreement with @SaskTeachersFed for teachers.
Why might that be? (1/10) When all physician services became publicly funded in Saskatchewan on July 1, 1962 most physicians went on strike for 23 days providing only life saving services. The strike was ended through mediation led by Lord Taylor from the UK (2/10)

Community Respiratory Illness Surveillance Program (CRISP) Situation Report: January 05, 2024 (Reporting Period December 17- December 30, 2023) (1/7) In the last two weeks, four COVID-19 deaths were reported.
There were four influenza-associated deaths reported in this two-week reporting period. (2/7)

Information from @SaskHealth on breast cancer
Mammogram.
This is an X-ray of the breast that can often find tumours that are too small for you or your doctor to feel. Most of the ones done today are digital mammograms. They record images of the breast in an electronic file.
(1/6) 3D mammogram (digital breast tomosynthesis).
This test uses X-rays to create a three-dimensional image of the breast. A 3D mammogram may be used alone or with a digital mammogram. (2/6)

Saskatchewan Community Respiratory Illness Surveillance Program (CRISP) Situation Report: December 08, 2023 (Reporting Period November 19 – December 02, 2023)
School-absenteeism for the week ending December 2, 2023, increased to 15.5% from 13.7% the previous week. (1/7) Weekly visits to the emergency departments for respiratory-like illnesses (RLI) increased from 30.4 per 1,000 to 33.4 per 1,000 visits in the most recent week.
(2/7)

Dear @PremierScottMoe , please read this:
What Is A Tribunal: Shared via @LawTeacherNet Read more here:
@SKGov @LawSocietySask @SKCourts @SaskTLA @CanadaGovNews @JustinTrudeaulawteacher.net/free-law-essay… Franks, in his report, mentions the espousal of the three virtues of:
openness,
fairness, and
impartiality.
How will be assured that this new Saskatchewan Tribunal will exhibit these virtues in its work ? (1/5)

Community Respiratory Illness Surveillance Program (CRISP) Situation Report: November 24, 2023 (Reporting Period November 05 – November 18, 2023.
(1/7) Total hospital admissions for respiratory viruses increased from 417 for the previous two weeks to 565 for the most recent two weeks, reflecting a 35% increase in the number of hospitalizations. (2/7)

The past week was a tumultuous experience for my wife in her journey with recently diagnosed pancreatic cancer. Based upon the opinion from her pancreatic surgeon, she understood the tumor would be totally excised after being shrunk by chemotherapy (1/10) She waited with both anticipation & hope for her initial appointment with an oncologist at the Saskatoon Cancer Clinic scheduled for the morning of Nov 14. The information she received from this oncology consultation was emotionally devastating (2/10)

I very much appreciate the many responses I have received to a thread I posted yesterday about my wife's healthcare experiences. In the hope it may help some people facing long access delays to vital diagnostic testing, I will share some additional info (1/8) As a physician, I am aware that we have always triaged access to more complex diagnostic imaging studies based upon relative acuity of the each patient's condition. That is a rational policy approach (2/8)

While I do not generally share personal & family health information, I will share some information to shine some light on the current strain on healthcare services & my family's experience with the system & healthcare professionals (1/12) My wife and I are both 77 years old. We have been married for 55 years. I have a family history of cardiovascular disease. My father died from a massive myocardial infarction at age 63. I had triple coronary bypass surgery in 2004 at age 58 (2/12)

Saskatchewan (CRISP) Situation Report: November 10, 2023 (Reporting Period October 22 – November 04, 2023)
There were 40 COVID-19 outbreaks reported in a high-risk setting in the past two week compared to 23 in the previous 2 week period. (1/8) The proportion of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients increased to 7.7% for the most recent week.
In the last two weeks, two deaths associated with COVID-19 were reported. (2/8)