The provincial NDP are raising concerns about a crisis in wait times in hospital emergency rooms in Regina and Saskatoon.
Opposition leader Ryan Meili said emergency room staffing must be improved because the average wait time for treatment in Saskatoon is 2.8 hours and 5.3 hours in Regina.
Health minister Jim Reiter said a command centre has been set up to resolve hospital wait time issues.
Since the memo was sent out, Reiter mentioned how it has already created change according to a conversation he had with an official at the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA).
“Basically he said the discrepancy amounts to 4.6 doctors. Since then, three doctors have been funded and hired,” he told reporters. “It has already taken a huge step forward already.”
Reiter suggests the SHA should be the ones to determine where to place resources internally, even when the authority is asking the ministry for more funding to help bring in more physicians.
“They are the ones who are more well-versed in the Murray formula, which is used to determine emergency room doctors,” explained Reiter. “I’m told that’s what has been used in this case and that is fair.”
He points out it is a serious problem across Canada and the Sask. Party government is taking steps to resolve wait time concerns.
While ER wait times were discussed during question period at the Saskatchewan legislature, the NDP also asked questions regarding proper psychiatric care for patients in the province.
Danielle Chartier, critic for mental health and addictions, talked about how families requiring psychiatric care for their loved ones have to seek treatment at ERs since there is overcapacity in psychiatric departments.
The situation contributes to the overcrowdedness in Regina and Saskatoon emergency rooms.
“We need to think about how to do emergency mental care completely differently here in the province,” she suggested. “We should be doing things differently to support mental health patients.”
Reiter said he’s extremely concerned about the situation and the government is looking to add more resources.
He mentioned that there was more funding in last year’s budget to help hospitals and a lot of it is still coming on stream.
(Files from Moises Canales)
