New Sask. hospital shouldn't be Catholic-run, Humboldt council says

When a new hospital is built in Humboldt, Sask., to replace the current Catholic-owned hospital, it should be publicly-run, city council says.

The board of St. Elizabeth's Hospital banned tubal ligation, the female sterilization procedure, last summer, saying it was contrary to Catholic health ethics.

The ban split the community, with some supporting it and others saying the choice of a tubal ligation is a decision that should be between a patient and her doctor.

The board relaxed the policy in December, allowing the operation —which involves cutting or tying the Fallopian tubes —when the "primary purpose is to benefit the total health of the person."

However, that didn't satisfy some who pointed out that even with the change, the hospital was still required to follow Catholic guidelines.

Construction on a new St. Elizabeth's Hospital, at a cost of $34 million, is expected to begin later this year.

On Monday, Humboldt city council passed a resolution to tell Catholic authorities and the Health Department that it favours making the new hospital publicly-run.

Humboldt has also called on the Catholic Health Corporation and the Saskatoon Health Region to change how things are doneat the current building. It wants to keep "spiritual care" as part of the hospital, but is against "regulatory provisions" that may interfere with doctor and patient decisions.

Humboldt is about 100 kilometres east of Saskatoon.