SASKATOON – Opposition New Democrats continued to hammer the government over weapons that have made their way into Saskatchewan hospitals.
Last week they showed pictures of weapons that entered Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon. On Wednesday at his constituency office in Saskatoon Meewasin, NDP critic Nathaniel Teed presented pictures of weapons that entered another facility: St. Paul’s Hospital.
Once again, the pictures showed various knives, machetes, saws, and other dangerous and sharp items. He said the photos were provided by representatives of the workers at the hospital, and confirmed these would have been weapons discovered through pat downs, self entrance to emergency rooms or by emergency services, and were being sent to be destroyed.
These weapons were collected prior to the news that metal detectors were being installed at St. Paul’s Hospital as part of the government's plan to add metal detectors at hospitals in Regina and Saskatoon.
Teed reminded reporters that St. Paul’s Hospital was the scene where a patient was admitted to emergency while possessing three knives and a firearm last November.
Teed also ridiculed the government’s announcement last week in which they said there would be an independent review of hospital safety and security.
“Last week, (Premier) Scott Moe’s confident Health Minister (Jeremy Cockrill) announced a review of hospital safety but offered no scope and no timeline and no plan to consult frontline workers,” said Teed.
“Friends, we don't need another review. Reviews have been done. We need action now. To say we are listening to the people on the frontlines of our hospitals. They know what the issues are and what is needed to restore safety in Saskatchewan.”
In response to reporters Teed said the concerns about safety had already been laid out in previous recommendations and reviews, pointing to a previous Provincial Auditor’s report on the topic..
“We've seen the auditor's reports. It's taken 415 days to implement even some of those very basic recommendations from the auditor's report that, you know, in that time it was just patient-on-patient violence that we were being reported on and that metal detectors and pat-downs were recommended but not implemented. And so I think really the biggest criticism is scope, timeline, and will frontline health care workers be consulted in that process? I think, again, it comes back to these recommendations and these processes have been done. We need action now.”
As for the implementation of the metal detectors, Teed said that in “some ways you might consider it a Band-Aid solution, a welcome Band-Aid solution, but there's more that has to be done to address health care workers' safety in our provinces. And I think it speaks to larger systemic social issues in our province that have just been cast aside by the Saskatchewan government for 18 years.”
The timing of the NDP media event about weapons collected at St. Paul’s Hospital was the same day as a “good news” government announcement: the grand opening of the newly completed entranceway to that hospital, which will be open to the public as of Thursday, Jan. 29.
In the media scrum after that ribbon cutting, Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill was asked about the security issues at St. Paul’s Hospital.
“Well, let me just say, you know, even one weapon coming into a hospital is one too many. I've said that last week,” Cockrill said.
As for the NDP media availability earlier that day, Cockrill called it “another news conference from the NDP and another news conference with no new ideas. I understand the photos they shared might even have patient identifying information on them, which would be a HIPA (Health Information Protection Act) violation.”
Cockrill said they were constantly in consultation with those working in the system to figure out how to improve security in the hospital.
“I think metal detectors are a good step,” said Cockrill.
“As I indicated last week, though, that's a first step. There's more work to do.We're going to be doing a review of protective services right across the province, including at our larger tertiary facilities like St. Paul's, but really right down to smaller facilities as well, giving us an opportunity. An opportunity, as I said last week, to take a step back and say, OK, listen, what are the challenges that, you know, our frontline workers face? What are the challenges that patients face when they come into our facilities? And again, ensuring that we have the right resources, the right training in terms of safety and security to make sure that everybody's safe, whether they're providing that care or receiving that care. Everybody needs to feel safe.”
