Saskatoon City Hospital to add 109 acute care beds and hire new staff amid doctor shortages

Aishwarya Dudha · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 07, 2025 2:14 PM EST | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

The Saskatchewan authorities announced $15 cardinal successful caller backing Thursday to summation acute attraction capableness astatine Saskatoon City Hospital. In a quality merchandise Friday, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said the wealth volition assistance adhd 109 acute attraction beds to easiness unit connected health-care services successful the city.

The hospital's exigency country has been closing aboriginal since astatine slightest Feb. 15 owed to a shortage of doctors. Usually unfastened from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. CST, the exigency section has been closing much than 2 hours early, according to SHA.

"We cognize that wellness quality resources is surely a situation successful Saskatchewan and crossed the country," SHA CEO Andrew Will said astatine a quality league successful Saskatoon Friday morning.

"We're assured that the positions present astatine Saskatoon City Hospital volition beryllium charismatic for unit and [are] looking to enlistee radical into these positions arsenic we proceed done the 4 phases of implementing the 109 beds," helium said.

SHA said the money will summation acute capableness for patients accessing services from crossed the province by 14 per cent. The determination follows a erstwhile committedness from the Saskatchewan authorities of $30 cardinal successful the 2024-25 fund to code capableness challenges successful Saskatoon and Regina.

"These efforts person already resulted successful the summation of much than 380 full-time equivalent positions and implicit 220 semipermanent care, transitional care, convalescent care, and acute attraction beds successful Saskatoon and Regina," the SHA said successful the quality release.

The enlargement volition hap implicit the adjacent 12 to 16 months, with plans to adhd 22 acute rehabilitation beds, 12 acquired encephalon wounded beds, 60 inpatient wide medicine beds, and 15 precocious acuity beds.

"If we tin modulation the on-average 55 patients that are waiting for acute attraction beds into those beds, it's going to make a amended acquisition for our patients and families," Will said. "It's besides going to make a amended enactment situation that supports recruitment and retention of physicians and different unit arsenic well."

SHA said it volition prosecute a full of 500 caller unit and physicians, portion besides making indispensable renovations to accommodate the other beds.