The Official Opposition says public-private health care is a lose-lose situation which drains funding and personnel from the public health system, making the wait times even longer. Health Critic Vicki Mowat pointed out during Question Period that the private MRI scans done in Saskatchewan go against the Canada Health Act, so it’s against the law, and that’s why the federal government is withholding funds from the Canada Health Transfer payment. She suggests it’s the Sask Party government’s fault that this has happened.

Health Minister Paul Merriman responded that Saskatchewan is one of eight provinces with a private option. He stresses that through the agreement with the private clinics, for every private scan done at a private clinic, a second scan is provided for someone on the public wait list, so the 15,000 private scans actually mean 30,000 scans completed.

Mowat answered that since the MRI bill was passed in 2015, wait times have shot up 63 per cent. She says the reduction in health funding from the federal government means Saskatchewan people will now foot the bill.

Merriman responded that the Sask Party focuses on delivering health care, not ideology, and they campaigned on this issue and were voted in with an overwhelming majority.