Patients in rural Saskatchewan were told to seek emergency care at a hospital that wasn’t open earlier this week, as overlapping closures left some residents facing hours-long drives to access life-saving treatment.
Last week, the emergency departments in Davidson and Outlook were both closed. Patients seeking care in Outlook were advised to go to Davidson, about an hour away, only to find its emergency department also shut down. Some were then forced to continue another hour to Saskatoon.
“I’m amazed someone didn’t die,” said Keith Jorgenson, the NDP’s associate shadow minister for rural and remote health. “And this is just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve heard reports of this happening in many different communities — now, we have photographic evidence to prove it.”
Data compiled by the Opposition suggests the problem has worsened in recent years. Between February 2018 and July 2019, the Saskatchewan Health Authority logged 86 closures, accounting for 808 days of lost service. From November 2023 to May 2025, there were 643 closures, totalling 3,362 days.
“Healthcare in our province is getting worse by the day,” Jorgenson said. “After 18 years in power, the Sask. Party is out of ideas and out of touch with the hardworking people on the frontlines.”
The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses said 92 per cent of its members surveyed have seen services shut down due to short staffing.