Letter: Registered massage therapist concerned with impact of possible COVID restrictions - Estevan Mercury

[massage]

The editor:

I am writing to Premier Scott Moe as a registered massage therapist (RMT) in Saskatchewan with concerns about my profession due to COVID-19.

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I am unnerved for my fellow RMTs that if Saskatchewan takes a turn for the worst and an impending lockdown is near, I and all other RMTs will be sent home. Yet our other health professionals will be able to continue working, but not massage therapists. All because of the wrong wording.

On the Saskatchewan Government website page, registered massage therapists are considered to be a “personal care Sservice” not a “health service” and we should not be out of work due to the wording of that. We are most definitely a health service and should not be under the umbrella of personal care when RMTs have governing bodies of associations.

We pay our fees, we have register numbers and we have insurance reimbursement. If we were in fact in the personal care category, why are we considered a health service for insurance companies, but not our provincial government? Why do RMTs work alongside chiropractors, physiotherapists other health professionals and be recognized as a health service by them, but not our provincial government?

I understand that Saskatchewan does not have a unified college for massage therapy, but there are several strong associations that have mandated and upheld the same precautions that the other regulated health professional colleges have in place. I hope this is taken into deep consideration to not include massage with personal care. If there is a lockdown in the future, I hope to see massage therapy on the list as a health service and will be able to continue to work.

Elisha Daneluk

Estevan