New Sask. family struggles to find pediatrician
![pediatricpic pediatricpic](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2021/9/5/pediatricpic-1-5574706-1630891663242.jpg)
Carly Tonken moved to Saskatoon to help with her family from Toronto, and something she has been struggling with is finding a pediatrician for her two kids.
“As someone who just moved her I’m unable to find any pediatricians to take him on and I have called and no one wants new clients because of COVID, and no one is accepting patients because of COVID honestly I’m kind of stumped.
“To have a relationship is so important with any kind of doctor and my son only being two I want him to know this doctor and grow up with this doctor and I can’t find anybody,” Tonken said.
Tonken's daughter Rayden is four months old and her son is two years old. Rayden requires special medical care and Tonken hopes she can find a pediatrician soon. She was able to get special referrals from Toronto in the meantime.
“I still need other referrals and those are taking a long time to be on a waitlist and no one has been calling me and that makes me worried," Tonken said.
"Quite frankly I need to make sure that my four month old is one the right path for her conditition."
Saskatoon pediatrician Dr. Mahli Brindamour said that in Saskatchewan, which is different than in Ontario where pediatricians do primary care, pediatric care is provided by referral only. Caregivers may ask their family doctor to refer to a pediatrician if they are worried.
“Call your family doctor, call your pediatrician if you’re concerned about your child’s health. We are here for you and will continue to care for your family despite the pandemic," Brindamour said.
Do you have a story idea or news tip? Email us.
Correction
This story has been updated to reflect how pediatric care is provided in Saskatchewan.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7034404.1726088503!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'Buy nothing': PSAC wants federal workers to boycott downtown Ottawa businesses
A union representing federal employees is asking its members to bring their own lunch to work, in an apparent retaliation against downtown Ottawa businesses as new return-to-office protocols begin.
Actions speak louder: What experts are saying about the body language in the U.S. presidential debate
The highly anticipated debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump was a heated matchup. Here's what experts who analyzed the exchange had to say.
Jon Bon Jovi helps talk woman down from ledge on Nashville bridge
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jon Bon Jovi and a video production assistant persuaded a woman standing on the ledge of a pedestrian bridge in Nashville to come back over the railing to safety.
Inside a Manitoba ghost town, a group of ladies works to keep it alive
Abandoned homes line the streets of Lauder, a town that's now a ghost of what it once was. Yet inside, a small community is thriving.
B.C. family says razor blades found in bag of frozen blueberries
The B.C. parents of an 11-year-old girl said their daughter recently found a package containing razor blades in a bag of Kirkland-brand frozen blueberries.
Langenburg UFO sighting commemorated with silver coin
Perhaps Saskatchewan's most famous encounter with Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP/UFO) – "The Langenburg Event" is now being immortalized in the form of a collective coin.
Taylor Swift wins at MTV Video Music Awards and Chappell Roan gets medieval
Taylor Swift and Post Malone took home the first award at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, for best collaboration, handed to them by Flavor Flav and Olympian Jordan Chiles.
Man, 70, and woman, 71, found shot dead in Montreal apartment, police
Montreal police (SPVM) are investigating after a man, 70, and woman, 71, were killed by gunshot wounds in an apartment.
Tens of thousands in the dark after Hurricane Francine strikes Louisiana with 100 m.p.h. winds
Hurricane Francine struck Louisiana on Wednesday evening as a Category 2 storm that forecasters warned could bring deadly storm surge, widespread flooding and destructive winds on the northern U.S. Gulf Coast.