Registered nurses at the Jim Pattison Children’s hospital in Saskatoon say the situation at the hospital is the worst they have ever seen.
“They think every time they say that, it can’t get any worse” according to Tracy Zambory, president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses. “Here we are with it being a collapsed part of the system now, and registered nurses are now giving care in the rubble of that”
She says there’s not enough staff, not enough beds, and kids are being treated in parts of the hospital not designed to be a hospital room.
“Kids are coming in sicker than ever” Zambory says. “Its not just RSV or COVID or the flu…kids who are coming were already unwell to start with, and they are coming in sicker”
Zambory and SUN are calling on the provincial government to put together a task force, or committee to look at the health staffing issues effecting the province, and what should be done to fix them. So far there has been no response. The government has been actively recruiting more nurses, most recently from the Philippines.
