Latest news with #VickiMowat
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Saskatoon hospital ERs 'bursting at the seams': Opposition
Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP says patients at two Saskatoon hospital emergency departments were treated "without privacy or dignity" on Wednesday because the ERs were "bursting at the seams." The NDP said that, as of Wednesday afternoon, 93 patients were in the Royal University Hospital's emergency room designed for half of that, with stretchers lining public hallways. At St. Paul's Hospital, it said there were 53 patients in an emergency room designed for 28, forcing patients to be treated in the waiting room. At a news conference Thursday in Saskatoon, Opposition health critic Vicki Mowat called on the government to immediately develop and publicly release an emergency plan to address overcrowding at RUH and St. Paul's. Mowat also called on the government to "staff up" hospitals province-wide. Mowat said hospitals are consistently over-capacity, but that it got to a level on Wednesday that led to her hearing from nurses from both hospitals within an hour of each other. "When it gets to this point, when they're at a breaking point and they have no other option, they feel like the only thing they can do is plead to the public to put pressure on the government to make a change," she said. Linda Wood has an elderly family member receiving care in St. Paul's. Wood said her relative spent most of four days in the hallway "in the smallest gurneys that they use for transport" before she was given a room late Wednesday night. Wood said the hallways were packed, including with family members of patients who were in pain or suffering — and staff were run off their feet. "[Wednesday] morning, I was shocked to see that they began to pull out all the waiting room chairs. And they quickly set up a hospital emergency ward in that waiting room," she said. "It was kind of like being in a war zone and watching a unit just literally be created out of thin air." Wood said people had to find new ways into the ER and that more than one staff member said, "Please tell people what's happening." Wood said she has seen emergency capacity issues in Saskatoon hospitals before, but "this was a whole new thing for me." "People are trying to be gracious and courteous and not listen, but when medical staff come to speak about the most intimate things in your situation and your health care, everyone is privy to that information," she said. Officials with the Ministry of Health were not immediately made available for comment. The latest provincial budget included $30 million to enact the provincial government's plan to open more than 100 new beds at Saskatoon City Hospital — acute care inpatient beds the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said will be added in the coming year. The government has also committed to opening urgent care centres — meant to divert pressure from emergency rooms — in Moose Jaw, Prince Albert and North Battleford. Secondary urgent care centres are also planned for Saskatoon and Regina. In a statement to CBC News, the SHA said it is committed to providing quality care, but acknowledged increased demand on the emergency departments, exceeding average volumes. The health authority said it "appreciates the patience and understanding of members of the public as our staff and physicians work diligently to improve patient flow and work through the system pressures we are currently experiencing."
CBC
22-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Saskatoon hospital ERs 'bursting at the seams': Opposition
Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP says patients at two Saskatoon hospital emergency departments were treated "without privacy or dignity" on Wednesday because the ERs were "bursting at the seams." The NDP said that, as of Wednesday afternoon, 93 patients were in the Royal University Hospital's emergency room designed for half of that, with stretchers lining public hallways. At St. Paul's Hospital, it said there were 53 patients in an emergency room designed for 28, forcing patients to be treated in the waiting room. At a news conference Thursday in Saskatoon, Opposition health critic Vicki Mowat called on the government to immediately develop and publicly release an emergency plan to address overcrowding at RUH and St. Paul's. Mowat also called on the government to "staff up" hospitals province-wide. Mowat said hospitals are consistently over-capacity, but that it got to a level on Wednesday that led to her hearing from nurses from both hospitals within an hour of each other. "When it gets to this point, when they're at a breaking point and they have no other option, they feel like the only thing they can do is plead to the public to put pressure on the government to make a change," she said. Linda Wood has an elderly family member receiving care in St. Paul's. Wood said her relative spent most of four days in the hallway "in the smallest gurneys that they use for transport" before she was given a room late Wednesday night. Wood said the hallways were packed, including with family members of patients who were in pain or suffering — and staff were run off their feet. "[Wednesday] morning, I was shocked to see that they began to pull out all the waiting room chairs. And they quickly set up a hospital emergency ward in that waiting room," she said. "It was kind of like being in a war zone and watching a unit just literally be created out of thin air." Wood said people had to find new ways into the ER and that more than one staff member said, "Please tell people what's happening." Wood said she has seen emergency capacity issues in Saskatoon hospitals before, but "this was a whole new thing for me." "People are trying to be gracious and courteous and not listen, but when medical staff come to speak about the most intimate things in your situation and your health care, everyone is privy to that information," she said. Officials with the Ministry of Health were not immediately made available for comment. The latest provincial budget included $30 million to enact the provincial government's plan to open more than 100 new beds at Saskatoon City Hospital — acute care inpatient beds the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said will be added in the coming year. The government has also committed to opening urgent care centres — meant to divert pressure from emergency rooms — in Moose Jaw, Prince Albert and North Battleford. Secondary urgent care centres are also planned for Saskatoon and Regina. In a statement to CBC News, the SHA said it is committed to providing quality care, but acknowledged increased demand on the emergency departments, exceeding average volumes. The health authority said it "appreciates the patience and understanding of members of the public as our staff and physicians work diligently to improve patient flow and work through the system pressures we are currently experiencing."
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Health-care challenges top of mind as Saskatchewan awaits 2025-26 budget
As Saskatchewan awaits details of the 2025-26 provincial budget, the state of health care in the province is front of mind for many. The government will 'continue to deliver better access to health care and deliver on our commitment to increase the number of surgeries performed annually to reduce wait times,' Premier Scott Moe said in a social media post Monday. His post went on to say that his government will 'build on investments,' like the $15-million recently announced for the expansion, renovation and equipment upgrades at Saskatoon's City Hospital, and shorten surgical wait times 'by ensuring 450,000 surgeries are performed over the next four years.' But the Opposition has its doubts. Saskatchewan has 'fallen to the back of the pack' when it comes to health care, the NDP said in a news release issued Tuesday. 'We need more doctors, nurses, and frontline health care workers — but instead of fixing the crisis, the Sask. Party is driving workers out and expanding the bureaucracy,' said NDP health critic Vicki Mowat in the release. And the Opposition's critic for the status of women took issue with the fact that some Saskatchewan patients have had to go out of province for breast cancer screening. 'It shouldn't be too much to ask for a mammogram close to home,' Brittney Senger said in the release. In late 2023, former health minister Everett Hindley said out-of-province mammogram referrals to a clinic in Calgary was a short term solution to cut down on surgical wait times. In February, the government renewed its contract with that clinic to continue referrals until March 31, 2026. The province also announced multiple initiatives in 2024 relating to breast cancer care and screening, including a new Breast Health Centre in Regina, which is slated to open in spring 2025. The 2024-25 budget allocated some $7.6-billion toward health. When released in March 2024, the government said that budget was intended to 'stabilize' the health sector. But despite ongoing work through the province's Health Human Resources Action Plan (meant to recruit and retain health-care workers) and capacity pressure action plans put in place in Regina and Saskatoon, health-care unions have continued to ring alarm bells over staffing shortages, high patient numbers and overflowing emergency rooms. The 2025-26 budget will be unveiled Wednesday afternoon. Mixed reactions as Sask. announces new breast cancer care, screening initiatives Health spending focused on 'stabilization,' staffing bharder@ For more health news and content around diseases, conditions, wellness, healthy living, drugs, treatments and more, head to – a member of the Postmedia Network.
