It was an exciting day in the town of Leader yesterday as people gathered for the opening of the new Leader and District Integrated Healthcare Facility.

Construction began in December of 2016 and almost two years after breaking ground the facility was complete and shown off to the public and media in the late morning.

Greg Ottenbreit, rural and remote health minister for the government of Saskatchewan, said it was great to come back to Leader and see the finished product.

"To come and enjoy the opening and celebrate the opening with the community is something that we really like to do, to celebrate these achievements with communities in something as significant as opening a new healthcare facility," he said.

The new $12.1 million facility has combined acute care, emergency medical services, community health services and primary health care into one location and offers six inpatient beds and 10 exam rooms. There is also a connecting hallway that links the facility to the 30-bed long-term care facility.

"It really is a great model, the integrated model," Ottenbreit said. "To be able to pull all of that together for a community the size of Leader that does serve quite a broad area really when you look at the proximity and the remoteness of the southwest. It's important to have these facilities that we do have a rural access to services."

The provincial government provided 80 per cent ($9.6 million) of the cost for the project and local funding covered the remaining 20 per cent ($2.5 million).