Saskatchewan’s health minister, Jeremy Cockrill, has denied claims from the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses and the Opposition NDP that babies from Regina’s neonatal intensive care unit were being sent to North Dakota for care. Cockrill stated that no child has been moved out of the province or out of the country for capacity issues since 2008. The union president, Tracy Zambory, had mentioned that the neonatal unit is overcapacity, short-staffed, and running out of ventilators, leading to families being sent to North Dakota. Cockrill plans to reach out to Zambory to discuss the situation further.
The Opposition NDP raised concerns about the situation, with rural health critic Meara Conway, who is pregnant, expressing her disappointment in the potential need to travel to North Dakota for care. Conway highlighted the lack of transparency in the government’s handling of healthcare issues and criticized the minister for not addressing the crisis in the neonatal intensive care unit. She mentioned complaints about staff shortages and a low supply of ventilators, calling for action to be taken to resolve these issues.
Cockrill explained that the overcapacity in the neonatal unit is due to a surge in births, with no shortage of ventilators at the hospital. The province has brought in additional staff to support the unit, and there is capacity in other Saskatchewan hospitals to accommodate patients. The NDP introduced an emergency motion to address the crisis in the intensive care unit, but it was rejected by government members. The province has also been sending breast care patients to a private clinic in Calgary due to a lack of capacity, with plans to review the contract with the clinic.
The government’s decision to send patients out of province raised questions about the costs and the trend of not investing in building the healthcare system within the province. Conway criticized the government for not focusing on developing healthcare services locally and called for more transparency and action to address the challenges in the health care system. Cockrill assured that efforts are being made to address the capacity issues in the neonatal unit and reduce the need to send patients out of province for care. The province will continue to monitor and review the situation to ensure the best possible care for patients.
