Saskatoon hospital ERs 'bursting at the seams': Opposition

3 month_ago 27

Saskatoon

Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP says patients astatine Saskatoon's Royal University Hospital and St. Paul's Hospital were treated successful a waiting country and nationalist hallways connected Wednesday "without privateness oregon dignity" arsenic a effect of overcrowding.

NDP says patients treated successful waiting country and nationalist hallways

CBC News

· Posted: May 22, 2025 6:14 PM EDT | Last Updated: 36 minutes ago

Hospital unit   are seen moving infirmary  beds adjacent  to ample  windows that are adjacent  to ER parking.

Staff astatine Saskatoon's St. Paul's Hospital acceptable up infirmary beds successful a portion of the exigency department's waiting country connected Wednesday. (Submitted by Linda Wood)

Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP says patients astatine 2 Saskatoon infirmary exigency departments were treated "without privateness oregon dignity" connected Wednesday due to the fact that the ERs were "bursting astatine the seams."

The NDP said that, arsenic of Wednesday afternoon, 93 patients were successful the Royal University Hospital's exigency country designed for fractional of that, with stretchers lining nationalist hallways.

At St. Paul's Hospital, it said determination were 53 patients successful an exigency country designed for 28, forcing patients to beryllium treated successful the waiting room.

At a quality conference Thursday successful Saskatoon, Opposition health critic Vicki Mowat called connected the authorities to instantly make and publically merchandise an exigency program to code overcrowding astatine RUH and St. Paul's.

Mowat besides called connected the authorities to "staff up" hospitals province-wide.

Mowat said hospitals are consistently over-capacity, but that it got to a level on Wednesday that led to her hearing from nurses from some hospitals wrong an hr of each other.

"When it gets to this point, erstwhile they're astatine a breaking constituent and they person nary different option, they consciousness similar the lone happening they tin bash is plead to the nationalist to enactment unit connected the authorities to marque a change," she said.

Linda Wood has an aged household subordinate receiving attraction successful St. Paul's. Wood said her comparative spent astir of 4 days successful the hallway "in the smallest gurneys that they usage for transport" earlier she was fixed a country precocious Wednesday night.

Wood said the hallways were packed, including with household members of patients who were successful symptom oregon suffering — and unit were tally disconnected their feet.

"[Wednesday] morning, I was shocked to spot that they began to propulsion retired each the waiting country chairs. And they rapidly acceptable up a infirmary exigency ward successful that waiting room," she said.

"It was benignant of similar being successful a warfare portion and watching a portion conscionable virtually beryllium created retired of bladed air."

Hospital beds and dividers are seen acceptable   up   successful  a country   with a "waiting room" motion   successful  a infirmary  exigency  department.

Hospital beds had been acceptable up successful hallways astatine St. Paul's Hospital earlier the determination was made to enactment much beds successful the waiting country of the exigency department. (Submitted by Linda Wood)

Wood said radical had to find caller ways into the ER and that much than 1 unit subordinate said, "Please archer radical what's happening."

Wood said she has seen exigency capableness issues successful Saskatoon hospitals before, but "this was a full caller happening for me."

"People are trying to beryllium gracious and courteous and not listen, but erstwhile aesculapian unit travel to talk astir the astir intimate things successful your concern and your wellness care, everyone is privy to that information," she said.

Officials with the Ministry of Health were not instantly made disposable for comment.

The latest provincial fund included $30 cardinal to enact the provincial government's program to summation the fig of acute attraction beds astatine Saskatoon City Hospital by much than 100. The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said those beds volition beryllium opened successful the coming year.

The authorities has besides committed to opening urgent attraction centres — meant to divert unit from exigency rooms — successful Moose Jaw, Prince Albert and North Battleford. Secondary urgent attraction centres are besides planned for Saskatoon and Regina.

In a connection to CBC News, the SHA said it is committed to providing prime care, but acknowledged accrued request connected the exigency departments, exceeding mean volumes.

The wellness authorization said it "appreciates the patience and knowing of members of the nationalist arsenic our unit and physicians enactment diligently to amended diligent travel and enactment done the strategy pressures we are presently experiencing."

With files from Radio-Canada, Dan Zakreski and Halyna Mihalik

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