NDP says obstetrical disruptions on the rise throughout Sask.

Saskatchewan’s NDP is calling on the provincial government to do something about the number of obstetrical disruptions the health-care system has seen over the last several years.

The issue is currently playing out in Meadow Lake, as the hospital there is dealing with an obstetrical disruption expected to last until Jan. 2.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority advised patients requiring obstetrical services in that community to go to the local hospital in order to be screened. After screening, patients might be transferred to Battlefords Union Hospital, the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon or Lloydminster Hospital. Any high-risk patients will be sent to Saskatoon.

Vicki Mowat, the Saskatchewan NDP’s health critic, suggested a lack of recruiting and retention in health care has made disruptions a major issue.

“My understanding is (the disruption) comes down to short-staffing, and the staffing crisis that has been made worse under this Sask. Party government,” Mowat said Friday.

Mowat said the provincial government has failed to recruit new workers, retain existing workers, ensure health-care workers have a high quality of life and investigate the reasons why workers might leave.

“All of those things need to happen in order to make sure we have the health-care workers we need to deliver services across the province,” the critic said.

Mowat said the health authority’s data shows 98 obstetrical disruptions across the province in the first six months of 2023, just one disruption shy of the 99 disruptions seen in the entirety of 2022. In 2021, the NDP said, there were a total of 29 obstetrical disruptions.

Mowat mentioned it’s concerning to hear just how many expecting mothers are struggling to get the care they need.

“We’ve heard from so many concerned mothers (and) mothers-to-be about how difficult it is to give birth and have health care there when you need it in this province, and how that’s completely unacceptable in 2023,” Mowat explained.

“We’re a wealthy province; this shouldn’t be the case where mothers don’t know where they’re going to give birth.”

Mowat suggests the NDP has recommended a number of solutions to help deal with the issues, such as working more closely with health-care workers and engaging with local communities.

“In a lot of cases, communities have solutions and local committees have been working towards recruiting and retention, and they have ideas about how to incentivize health-care workers to come to their communities,” she said.

“In some cases, it’s about making sure there’s an adequate staff complement in their community.”

Mowat said she feels proper funding is necessary so those ideas can be supported to help improve care in rural communities. She further called on the provincial government to do a better job when it comes to reporting on closures and issues at hospitals.

The provincial government has put an action plan into place with the goal of adding 1,000 new workers to Saskatchewan’s health system over the coming years.

In September, provincial representatives embarked on a national tour to promote health opportunities in the province.