Saskatoon Hospitals Grapple with Overcrowding Crisis: Patients Treated in Hallways, Waiting Rooms
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – Emergency rooms at two major Saskatoon hospitals are facing severe overcrowding, leading to patients being treated in hallways and waiting rooms, according to the Opposition New Democratic Party (NDP). The NDP alleges that patients at Royal University Hospital (RUH) and St. Paul’s Hospital experienced a lack of privacy and dignity due to the overwhelming number of individuals seeking medical care.
Critical Overcapacity at Saskatoon Hospitals
On Wednesday afternoon, RUH’s emergency room, designed to accommodate approximately 46 patients, was reportedly treating 93. Stretchers lined public hallways as medical staff struggled to manage the influx. St. Paul’s Hospital faced a similar crisis, with 53 patients in an emergency room built for 28, forcing staff to treat patients in the waiting area.
Did You Know?
Hospital overcrowding can lead to increased wait times, higher infection rates, and decreased patient satisfaction. It also places immense stress on healthcare staff.
NDP Calls for Immediate Action
At a news conference Thursday, Vicki Mowat, the Opposition health critic, urged the government to take immediate action. When it gets to this point, when they’re at a breaking point and they have no other option, they feel like the only thing they can do is plead to the public to put pressure on the government to make a change,
Mowat stated, emphasizing the urgency of the situation. She called for the immediate advancement and public release of an emergency plan to address overcrowding at both RUH and St. Paul’s, as well as increased staffing levels province-wide.
Patient Experiences Highlight crisis
Linda Wood, whose elderly family member is receiving care at St. Paul’s, described the dire conditions.her relative spent most of four days in the hallway in the smallest gurneys that they use for transport
before finaly being assigned a room late Wednesday night. Wood recounted the overcrowded hallways, filled with patients in pain and their concerned family members, and the exhaustion of the hospital staff.
pro Tip:
If you or a loved one is experiencing a medical emergency, consider calling your family doctor or visiting an urgent care center if the situation is not life-threatening. this can definitely help alleviate pressure on emergency rooms.
Wood was shocked to witness the change of the waiting room into an impromptu emergency ward.[Wednesday] morning, I was shocked to see that they began to pull out all the waiting room chairs. And they quickly set up a hospital emergency ward in that waiting room,
she said, describing the scene as kind of like being in a war zone and watching a unit just literally be created out of thin air.
She added that staff members, overwhelmed by the situation, pleaded with visitors to Please tell people what’s happening.
Wood also expressed concern about the lack of privacy, noting that when medical staff come to speak about the most intimate things in your situation and your health care, everyone is privy to that facts.
Government Response and Future Plans
Officials with the Ministry of Health were not immediately available for comment. However,the latest provincial budget includes $30 million to increase the number of acute care beds at Saskatoon City Hospital by more than 100,with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) stating that these beds will be available in the coming year. The government has also committed to opening urgent care centers in Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, and North Battleford, with secondary urgent care centers planned for Saskatoon and Regina, aiming to divert pressure from emergency rooms.
In a statement to CBC News, the SHA acknowledged the increased demand on emergency departments, exceeding average volumes. The health authority stated it appreciates the patience and understanding of members of the public as our staff and physicians work diligently to improve patient flow and work through the system pressures we are currently experiencing.
