Healthcare workers at Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital (RUH) are urgently calling for reforms after the hospital's emergency department reached a staggering 350 percent capacity last week. The crisis hit a critical point when staff struggled to care for 121 patients in a space designed for only 35 beds, highlighting a growing emergency access issue that’s plaguing both urban and rural healthcare systems in Saskatchewan.
While the crisis at RUH is drawing attention to the healthcare system’s failures in Saskatoon, rural areas like West Central Saskatchewan are feeling the strain as well. In towns such as Leader and Kerrobert, emergency rooms have faced multiple closures due to doctor shortages, forcing patients to travel between 30 minutes and an hour to access in-person emergency care. This delay in care has become a matter of life and death for many rural residents, who rely on local ERs for urgent medical attention.
In rural communities, the lack of emergency services combined with staff shortages only amplifies the healthcare system’s fragility. Virtual physician services, while beneficial for non-urgent cases, are often insufficient when immediate care is required.
The stress on Saskatchewan’s healthcare system is being felt by frontline workers, with burnout rates still alarmingly high. Though down from a peak of 53 per cent in 2021, nearly 40 per cent of healthcare workers report severe burnout. A recent SUN survey revealed that 86 per cent of registered nurses are concerned about patient safety due to chronic understaffing, and 60 per cent have considered leaving the profession in the past year.
SUN President Tracy Zambory noted the dire conditions facing healthcare workers: “How do you safely care for patients when you’re working in an ER that’s consistently at 200 per cent overcapacity, with beds in hallways and critical care happening in the open, all while short seven registered nurses?”
Hundreds of healthcare workers rallied outside the legislature in Regina last Thursday, demanding immediate intervention. Their voices are resonating across the province, especially in rural areas where access to essential healthcare services has become increasingly unpredictable.
Saskatchewan Party leader Scott Moe acknowledged the challenges during a recent campaign stop, stating, “We will commit to ensuring improvements happen in the future.” Moe pointed to the government’s health human resource action plan, launched two years ago, as evidence of their efforts but admitted there’s more work to be done.
However, Mowat criticized the current government’s handling of the healthcare crisis, calling the action plan ineffective due to a lack of consultation with healthcare workers. She argued that more should have been done over the last 17 years of governance to address these persistent issues.
As overcrowded hospitals and closed rural emergency rooms continue to strain Saskatchewan’s healthcare system, the hope is that swift reforms will be enacted to provide better support to healthcare workers and ensure that both rural and urban residents receive the care they deserve.