Saskatchewan NDP calls on government to do more to address children’s hospital capacity

A letter sent to health-care workers at the Sask. Children’s Hospital Thursday stated the pediatric intensive care unit was at 125 per cent and 'staffing pressures remain high.'

Saskatchewan official Opposition leader Ryan Meili called on the provincial government to do more after a notice sent out to health-care workers at the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital showed inpatient capacity was at 108 per cent.

The letter, sent on Thursday morning and obtained by Global News, also stated the pediatric intensive care unit was at 125 per cent and “staffing pressures remain high.”

Sent on behalf of a manager in SHA, the letter said keeping with the current surge plan, non-urgent direct admissions are being deferred, with the date yet to be determined.

There are also discussions with surgical services taking place “about the appropriateness of continuing with booked surgeries.”

“On-service inpatient teams will be asked to: identify patients from outside of Saskatoon to be repatriated to another facility with or without concurrent care in partnership with local providers; modify management plans to expedite discharge; (and) restrict admission to only urgent cases.”

Meili described the capacity at JPCH as “bursting at the seams.”

Premier Scott Moe agreed that there is some “localized pressures” particularly in urban centres.

“We are thankful we have the investment in infrastructure such as the (JPCH), we’re thankful for the initiatives over the last dozen years resulting in about 1,000 doctors that are offering services here in Saskatchewan,” Moe said.