CIHI: Sask. Hospitals are below national average for occupancy

Half of the hospital beds in Saskatoon remain unused while patients leave the province in hopes of finally getting proper health care.

According to a study made in 2022/23 by The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Saskatchewan is below the national average for occupancy rate. The national average is 76%, the Royal University Hospital and Jim Pattison’s Children’s Hospital are at 54%, St. Paul’s Hospital is at 66% and Saskatoon City Hospital is at 36%. These numbers represent the percentage of hospital beds that are staffed and in use.

Friday a press conference was held by NDP leader Carla Beck and Health Critic Vicki Mowat to discuss the burnout and struggles healthcare workers have been faced with.

Beck believes that if a new government were to meet with healthcare workers directly, Saskatoon would be able to restore its healthcare system.

“Any healthcare worker will tell you, this province used to be a national leader when it came to healthcare, ‘on the cutting edge,’ said Beck. “I truly believe that if we listen to healthcare workers, if we have a government that is serious about dealing with this problem – we could be and should be again.”

Beck expressed that Scott Moe and the Saskatchewan Party broke the healthcare system and have no plan to fix it.

“Our hospitals are simply not working efficiently because the people who work on the front lines, the nurses and all of those who work in our hospitals are not being listened to,” said Beck.

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Health Critic Vicki Mowat revealed the government has failed when it comes to its recruitment strategy.

According to Mowat, the Sask. Party has scared away many specialists needed at Saskatoon hospitals, causing families to make expensive trips across Canada to get the care they need.

“We have had to advocate for people to get funding to go to out-of-province care,” said Mowat. “It’s been incredibly scary in emergency situations where someone needs an emergency surgery and there isn’t a surgeon available.”

Many healthcare workers are leaving the province or their profession altogether due to the lack of support from the government.

Mowat said they have been calling on the government to create a recruitment strategy that will retain specialists. She also emphasized that the government has no exit interview with healthcare workers, something Mowat believes should be introduced so they can hear from workers directly on why they do not want to work in our city.

“Healthcare workers in scrubs, not Sask. Party officials in suits, should be running our hospitals,” said Mowat.