Despite outward appearances of a “David and Goliath” relationship, a new alliance between health authorities and medical schools in Saskatoon and Calgary will benefit everyone equally, representatives from both sides say.
The burgeoning partnership could see Calgary hospitals transferring pediatric patients who are in critical condition to Saskatoon hospitals during bed-shortage crunches, and University of Saskatchewan scientists drawing on the strength of Calgary's research teams. Representatives from Saskatoon and Calgary met in November to finalize a memorandum of understanding.
“The truth of the matter is that Goliath may not be so big, and David may not be so small,” said Dr. Barry Maber, physician vice-president for Saskatoon District Health. “There's growing recognition of something we've talked about for some time in Western Canada — that given our population density, it makes sense for us to be identifying collaboration opportunities and using each other's strengths.”
Under the new deal, Saskatoon will serve as backup for transfers when Calgary faces shortages of pediatric critical care beds — a job previously filled by centres in British Columbia or the US. Maber said joint procurement of medical supplies may be another area where the 2 centres can work cooperatively, creating “stronger negotiating clout.”
Dr. Hans Van De Sande, vice-dean in the University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine, says its medical students will benefit from exposure to the University of Saskatchewan's strong rural medicine program. “Also, our researchers would have the benefit of drawing on a larger population and of sharing the expertise of their counterparts studying in Saskatchewan.”
Calgary's health authority and medical school feel the need to be part of a larger context, added Van De Sande. The agreement has the “potential to improve our ability to provide service, education, and to do research.”
What began as a service-delivery partnership between the 2 health districts eventually broadened to include the respective medical faculties as well. Maber noted that Calgary enjoys a more synergistic relationship between its medical school and health authority than Saskatoon does. The lack of cooperation and coordination between the latter 2 has been a recurrent theme in several reviews conducted by external consultants, and it is considered at least partly to blame for the specialist exodus that has occurred in Saskatoon in recent years.