REGINA - As the Saskatchewan legislature heads into the final week of its fall sitting, the Opposition has shifted its focus back to health care.
New Democrat MLAs hammered the government on the issue last week at the Legislature. First, the Opposition criticized the government over its move to start sending some patients to a private clinic in Calgary for breast cancer diagnostics to ease the backlog.
Then on Wednesday, radiologicial technicians were at the Legislature alongside the NDP expressing concerns that hospitals could be put on bypass, painting a picture of a system being overrun.
Opposition Critic Matt Love raised the issue in Question Period, as recorded in Hansard:
“These folks work in diagnostics, providing X-ray, radiological and CT scans to Saskatchewan people who are sick or injured so they can get the treatment and the care that they need. But they’re frustrated, frustrated by the chronic short-staffing they see each and every day when they come to work. When there aren’t enough staff their unit gets shut down and appointments are cancelled. When will this government actually listen to health care workers and fix the short-staffing crisis facing patients today?”
Minister of Health Everett Hindley responded that the government was “very committed to doing what needs to be done to recruit, train, incentivize, and retain health care workers, and that includes medical radiation technologists.
“Mr. Speaker, I understand that there are some vacancies that need to be filled at the Pasqua Hospital as well, Mr. Speaker. My office has been in contact with the group that the member opposite is speaking of, and we’re in the process of setting up a meeting for me to have a chance to sit down and meet with them directly and to hear about their concerns, their ideas and solutions, and how we can proceed with taking those ideas from them and trying to implement those solutions into our health care system.”
On Thursday, the NDP released a Saskatchewan Health Authority memo pointing to four hospitals in critical care bypass. The memo from Nov. 29 stated that Moose Jaw, Yorkton and Saskatoon would continue bypass while North Battleford would start bypass.
A second memo released by the NDP pointed to what was described as “immediate capacity challenges and risk to safe patient care” at Regina emergency departments.
“Just this week we’ve seen (Prince Albert) suspend surgeries, we’ve seen Regina ER go on bypass, we’ve got notice that North Battleford is going on bypass for critical care, we see the same ongoing critical care bypass in Moose jaw in Yorkton in Saskatoon, we see emergency rooms with fire code violations for the number of patients in the ER, we heard from healthcare workers this week that are forecasting a shut down or more closures in imaging and CT scans at the Pasqua. It’s urgent,” said Opposition Leader Carla Beck.
“The government should stop with the self-congratulations, stop with holding a piece of paper and patting themselves on the back for a plan that clearly isn’t working, and get to the table and listen to these healthcare workers. And if they don’t believe them go spend some time in these hospitals. Go spend some time on the front lines. I think they will be very shocked by what they see there.”
In response to the memos, Health Minister Hindley told reporters these were a “snapshot in time as to what’s happening.”
“As we know, there’s a number of different pressures this time of year on the healthcare system overall, including hospitals here in the city of Regina and other communities and cities as well. An increase in respiratory illnesses, happening right now in Saskatchewan, is what typically happens at this time of year. And the system is designed, the healthcare system is designed to address these types of fluctuations as it happens so, it includes having certain hospitals — in this case ICUs — on bypass. It’s important to point not the entire hospital is on bypass, but as patients if they come into the hospital, they will be triaged appropriately by the healthcare teams and will get the care there’s required.”
Hindley did point to investments made in health care capital and recruitment including efforts under way by the SHA to address patient flow. “I check in regularly with the leadership at the SHA to get updates as to how that’s progressing because we need to make those advancements on a more short term basis to make sure we are creating more space for patients that are presenting to our hospitals.”
COP28 trip still under attack
The NDP were also still attacking the government last week over the spending of $765,000 on a Saskatchewan pavilion at the COP28 climate change event in Dubai. Premier Scott Moe is in Dubai this week for the conference promoting a message of a “sustainable Saskatchewan.”
But the composition of companies using the pavilion has come under attack. On Friday, Official Opposition Jobs and Economy Critic Aleana Young and Environment Critic Jared Clarke slammed the pavilion, stating that barely half of the delegation of 55 organizations were from Saskatchewan. It includes out of province universities such as the University of Guelph, governments of Alberta, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador and Calgary law firm Bennett Jones.
“Scott Moe’s trip to Dubai is not as advertised,” said Young in a statement. “The Premier justified this $765,000 event space as an opportunity to sell Saskatchewan's story to overseas investors. I think a lot of people are now scratching their heads wondering how footing the bill to promote the University of Guelph or some big-name Calgary law firm will help us sell more Saskatchewan products.”
