REGINA – The NDP and Sask Party were sparring again on health care on Wednesday, with the government pushing back on some of the Opposition claims of long wait times.
At a news conference at the Legislature Wednesday, Opposition Health Critic Meara Conway raised concerns about safety reports compiled by the Saskatchewan Health Authority that were leaked to the NDP.
Conway claimed the reports indicated hospitals are “reporting widespread overcapacity issues, which seem to be worsening, and all have been classified as, quote, very high safety risks.”
She particularly pointed to the Regina General Hospital Emergency Department being reported as being at a very high safety risk on Sunday and having patient wait times of nearly 70 hours.
“Now that has since worsened, and yesterday the longest wait time was reported at 91 hours,” said Conway. “The Regina Pasqua Hospital, meanwhile, was reported as having a high safety risk on Sunday, was short on intensive care unit beds, and reporting wait times of 84 hours for care.”
Conway also noted Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert was reported being at a very high safety risk on Sunday, and short nine medical care beds, and the same condition was reported at the Riverside Health Complex in Turtleford. Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital in Moose Jaw was also at a high safety risk, with Conway reporting wait times of 33 hours of care on Sunday that went up to 73 hours as of Tuesday.
“It's clear that health care in Saskatchewan is worse than it's ever been,” Conway said. “I can't imagine the pain, agony, and frustration of the people waiting in these waiting rooms. I can't imagine the distress of frontline health care workers. We know that the holiday season is often incredibly taxing on hospitals, and I fear that the worst may be yet to come.”
But the government pushed back on the portrayal of the statistics by the NDP.
In a statement Derek Miller, COO Saskatchewan Health Authority, said the times mentioned by Conway actually measured the time from patient registration to the time of discharge.
“Interpreting internal documents which are used regularly by health system experts to inform decision making outside of their intended context should be done with caution,” Miller said. “Wait times included in the report referenced measure the time from patient registration to discharge from the emergency department. These wait times do NOT represent the time patients wait to be assessed by a physician.”
Jeremy Cockrill, Minister of Health, issued a statement that was critical of the NDP.
“Today, the lost and reckless NDP dishonestly claimed that the length of time patients spend in the emergency department prior to discharge is the length of time they are waiting to first see a doctor,” Cockrill said. “Patients can rest assured that when they come to the emergency department they will be cared for by nurses and doctors in a timely manner based on the severity of their illness.”
Cockrill was scheduled to appear in Saskatoon Thursday at the launch of the province’s new mobile mammography unit. In a statement Thursday morning, Conway challenged Cockrill at that event to address the safety issues seen in hospitals.
“When Scott Moe’s Health Minister faces the media this morning, he needs to provide concrete details on what exactly he’s going to do to ease the crushing pressures on hospitals in Saskatchewan’s four largest cities,” Conway said in a statement.
In that news release, Conway also blasted the SHA for their response to the issue.
“Instead of acknowledging and addressing this crisis head-on, the top brass of the SHA has once again attempted to downplay frontline healthcare concerns,” Conway said.
“This is a time for leadership, not excuses. It’s time for the SHA to step up, stop with the spin, own the challenges, and work to solve them.”
