REGINA — A hospital in Saskatchewan's capital is temporarily closing one of its medical intensive care unit beds following months of staff shortages.
A leaked Saskatchewan Health Authority memo, released by the Opposition NDP on Wednesday, says the bed at the Regina General Hospital is to be closed until Sept. 5.
The memo said employee shortages have made it difficult to staff the unit.
The unit has instead been largely relying on contract employees, but a number have cancelled at the last minute.
NDP Health critic Vicki Mowat said Thursday the memo shows the Saskatchewan Party government is failing to address problems in the health-care system.
"Either Scott Moe and his Health minister are taking Saskatchewan people for fools or they clearly have zero idea what's going on in our hospitals," Mowat said.
The province has said it has been hiring more health-care employees to address wait-times and other problems in the system.
Earlier this month, the government said it has hired 485 graduate nurses since December.
However, Mowat said the government lacks a plan to retain current employees.
She said the government could hire those who work on a temporary or casual basis as full-time employees. It would be a long-term solution to ensure there are enough staff to avoid bed closures, she said.
"We've pointed out, in numerous occasions, the instability of relying on a contract workforce," Mowat said.
"It's also creating discontent with the health-care workers themselves because they know that folks who are on contract are making 30-per-cent more than they are, doing the exact same work."
The Saskatchewan Health Authority did not immediately provide a comment.
The memo said it expects to find staffing replacements at the hospital later this summer so the bed can reopen.
The NDP has proposed the province work with health-care workers to develop solutions in addressing staffing shortages.
Opposition Leader Carla Beck said other provinces are taking more aggressive measures to hire them.
She pointed to recent health data that showed Saskatchewan has the longest wait-times in Canada for hip and knee replacement surgeries.
"It defies logic, frankly. Why they won't work with the health-care workers," Beck said. "They don't seem interested in finding these solutions. They're there to be found."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2023.
Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press
