The Saskatchewan NDP says, if elected, it plans to make the Saskatoon City Hospital’s emergency department open 24 hours a day.
Saskatchewan Health Critic Vicki Mowat said they need more staff to do this.
“The Saskatchewan NDP will ramp up hiring and strike a health care task force to address patient flow and find alternate level of care solutions,” said Mowat. “We simply can’t be relying on the doctors and nurses we have.”
Saskatchewan Health Minister Everett Hindley says the ministry has been in talks with health professionals and is already working to ease ER stress.
“We have the urgent care center in Regina, one that’s going to be under construction here in Saskatoon that helps provide another avenue for patients. So they’re not always going to the emergency department,” said Hindley.
“You’ve heard us talk about scope expansion for nurse practitioners and paramedics and pharmacists.”
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Tracy Zambory, president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, agrees with the NDP that Saskatchewan needs a nurse task force.
“What we need to do is be able to build that strong foundation of staffing, because the last thing that the City of Saskatoon needs is a third emergency room that they can’t staff,” said Zambory.
Zambory said the most important thing is that the government listens to health-care workers.
“Registered nurses are here with solutions to get things done. And I call on all the major political parties in this province to listen and to take action with us,” said Zambory.