‘Slap in the face’: Sask. Doctors Feel Underappreciated by Prime Minister’s “Attractive” Message | The Canadian News

During a press conference at the Legislative Building Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Scott Moe reiterated a statement he made the previous week that Saskatchewan doctors need to do more to quell misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines. . Now some doctors are criticizing him.

“I hope that in the next few days we can see our really engaging medical community, to take a direct look at the misinformation that is being provided and provide some answers for the people of Saskatchewan,” Moe said.

“I think we have a very active and engaged medical community, a very smart community that I think could really answer the bell of what the people of Saskatchewan are looking for,” he said.

On Monday night, Dr. Tamara Hinz took to social media to convey her dismay at what the Moe said.

In a Twitter thread to the Prime Minister, Hinz said: “It was beyond discouraging to hear him speak today about how doctors should start publicly educating and speaking to the media to counter pandemic disinformation, as if we had not been doing this kind of thing. Actions. promotion from the beginning. “

Within the thread, Hinz included several letters that had been addressed to the prime minister last year, calling for stricter health policies where appropriate, which were signed by hundreds of doctors.

He goes on to say that doctors in the province have been on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to provide education and information.

“We have conducted interviews with local, national and even international media, sometimes even in other languages,” the tweet reads.

She adds: “We do this as a labor of love and out of a sense of obligation, so it feels like more than a slap in the face for our prime minister to announce now that there is’ an opportunity for medical professionals to provide some guidance. ” . ‘”

Hinz says he went through a number of emotions, including disbelief “that the prime minister would say something like that.” His feeling of disbelief quickly turned to frustration, he said.

“Perhaps all this work has been screaming into the void that as much as we have been trying to share experience to collaborate to express our concerns, to provide evidence-based recommendations, they have been falling on deaf ears,” Hinz said in an interview with Global. News on Tuesday.

Hinz said she is unaware that she or her peers have ever received a response or acknowledgment to the letters they sent to Moe.

While in some cases they saw late action on their recommendations, Hinz wasn’t sure if that was directly related to their calls to action.

“It feels like a diversion from guilt or responsibility.”

“We can advocate and educate until we are sad, but ultimately, we are not in charge of those political decisions; all these actions are at the feet of our government, ”said Hinz.

He added that doctors have also had countless conversations with family, friends and strangers answering questions related to COVID-19 and vaccine fears, all of which have been done without pay during “precious hours off with … families.”

Dr. Alex Wong, a Regina-based infectious disease specialist, also took to social media to expose his frustrations with the prime minister’s message.

Wong tweeted: “I heard our prime minister said yesterday that Saskatchewan (health workers) needed to ‘answer the bell.’

“Sir. We have been here from day one. We are exhausted and exhausted, but we will continue to give #SK everything we have left.”

Wong ends his tweet by asking Moe to “please support us and don’t kick us in the stomach when we’re already depressed? Thanks.”

In an interview on Monday, Wong explained that most people who have not yet been vaccinated at this time, for whatever reason, will likely contract the Delta variant in the coming months.

“It’s so contagious, the society is obviously still open, so there probably won’t be a lot of time to work on getting those people vaccinated,” Wong said.

In addition, he said that he has had several personal conversations with numerous people about COVID vaccines.

“I get messages from people who ask me to talk to their mother or grandmother or a relative or brother or whoever and I do everything I can and am capable of, and again those are difficult, 30 minutes, 45, 60 minute conversations “Wong said.

Both Hinz and Wong say they will continue to do what they have always done during the pandemic, which is educate others about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and dispel misinformation.

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