Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill says the province is working to address the staffing shortages plaguing the Regina Pediatric Diabetes Program.

The staffing issues have caused some Regina parents to seek specialized care in Saskatoon.

Cockrill told Your Morning Saskatchewan on Monday the new arrangement would be the status quo in the short term.

“The key goal here is that we are focused on restoring those services right here in Regina. This is not a final state,” Cockrill said.

Last week, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said it had implemented a strategy to provide care for current patients in Regina, though still admitting some would need to access care in Saskatoon.

“When you’re used to receiving care from a team here in Regina and then if you have to go somewhere else to another city further away to receive that care, that adds some inconvenience to your life and we understand that,” Cockrill said.

“We’re taking a look at the physician complement, the nursing complement and getting that team back up to full strength eventually.”

Having access to local services is essential for supporting children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, according to Karen McPherson with Diabetes Canada.

“What families need, what the patients, the children and youth need, are ongoing specialized support to manage insulin therapy. So that includes things like insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors,” explained McPherson, who is the group’s manager of government affairs for Western Canada.

She said those tools are used to prevent serious complications from diabetes.

McPherson also highlighted the added obstacle of forcing families to seek care outside of Regina.

“There could be families that are already traveling an hour or more to get to Regina for care … It can mean extra time off for parents who have to attend to the appointments, and it means time off from school as well for the for the students,” she said.

“… Kids are only kids for so long, and to establish the routines to make sure that medications are correct, especially while children are growing — that’s imperative.”

Speaking to reporters at an event on Monday, Cockrill did not provide a specific timeline as to when the issue would be resolved.

“This is important to recognize that these services are not only offered by physicians, they’re also offered by our nursing teams on this team as well,” the minister said. “That’s why we’re going to take a look at the Saskatchewan Health Authority — at our nursing staffing complement on that team.”

He added the ministry will be working closely with SHA and nursing teams to help offer services “as close to home as possible.”