The government of Saskatchewan is facing questions about efforts to restart a stalled kidney transplant program. Surgeries have been suspended since the end of July, 2009. (CBC)

The opposition New Democratic Party claims an idea to help restart a stalled kidney transplant program in Saskatchewan was ignored by officials in the Ministry of health.

Judy Junor, the NDP member of the legislature for Saskatoon Eastview and the opposition's health critic, quizzed the Saskatchewan Party government Thursday about the status of the kidney transplant program.

No transplants have been performed in the province since the program was suspended, supposedly on a temporary basis, at the end of July 2009.

Some patients who are well enough to travel have been treated in Edmonton. There are 106 Saskatchewan people on a waiting list for kidney transplants.

Saskatchewan's program is on hold because there are not enough surgeons available to do the work.

On Thursday in the legislature Junor revealed that Dr. Ahmed Shoker, the head of transplant surgery with the University of Saskatchewan's medical school, had found two potential doctors who could be recruited to Saskatchewan.

However, she said Shoker's suggestions were not followed up.

'I was told very clearly: do not approach those two surgeons.'—Dr. Ahmed Shoker, transplant program director

Shoker confirmed Thursday that he met several times with government officials in an effort to address problems with the kidney transplant program.

"We were approached by a potential surgeon who is more than capable of performing transplants," Shoker told CBC News in an interview Thursday. He says he also learned of another qualified surgeon, in Saskatchewan, who could join the transplant team.

"So I did identify those to the administration and basically they told us to 'Leave it in our hands'," Shoker said.

He said the leads were shared several months ago and, at the time he was hopeful the doctors would eventually arrive and that kidney transplants could start up again.

However, he says he learned in March that no solution had been found.

Urgent meeting held

Shoker said he then set up an urgent meeting with the Ministry of health and urged officials to step up efforts to salvage the kidney transplant program.

Shoker said he offered to provide assistance but was told, "No. You should not [get involved]. It's a sensitive issue and leave it to us."

Shoker thought he could try the two earlier doctors again, to see if they were still interested.

"I was told very clearly: do not approach those two surgeons," Shoker said. He said it was a puzzling directive because any recruitment effort should, in his view, include discussions with him, the head of the transplant program.

He added that the discussions involved top officials with the Ministry of Health and that the Saskatoon Health Region was aware of what was happening.

Shoker said officials were warned several times that there would be "significant repercussions" if workload issues involving the existing kidney transplant surgeons were not resolved.

"They should have a contingency Plan-B," Shoker suggested.

Shoker said initial discussions with the ministry took place in August, 2009.

10 months is too long

He says it is inappropriate for ten months to have elapsed with no solution in place.

Shoker also explained that, depending on their level of training and expertise, almost any surgeon could help the kidney transplant program. He said some general surgeons have the necessary skills to perform a kidney transplant.

"We needed the transplants to be performed," he said.

"What I need is a concrete timeline for when ... we, as a transplant program, can talk to those people directly," he said. "When are they going to start doing transplants for us?"

Don McMorris, the minister of health, said Thursday he was aiming to have the kidney transplant program in Saskatchewan up and running again in three to four months.

But Shoker says the issue has been known to officials for ten months already and he was promised immediate action last August.

"My worry is that it is just a Tic-Tac response to pressure from the media," he said of McMorris's assurance.

Shoker said the fact that he remains "outside the loop" of information tells him that there is likely no meaningful work being done on recruitment.

He said the minister may know more than him, but Shoker felt it is probably the case that no surgeon has been lined up, or will be lined up, who could be in Saskatchewan in three to four months. "We know that it is not easy to recruit transplant surgeons," he said. "When you have an opportunity for one, that is good, you have to jump on them."