Saskatchewan NDP MLA Jordan McPhail says patients in rural and northern communities need faster notice when emergency rooms are closed or services are disrupted, arguing that the current system can leave people unsure where to go during a medical emergency.
McPhail was in Prince Albert on Friday, May 1, one day after the government voted down Bill 606, a private member’s bill introduced by NDP MLA Jared Clarke. The bill would have required the Saskatchewan Health Authority to publicly report emergency room closures and service disruptions within one hour. That same day, Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill defended the province’s approach during a media scrum in Regina.
McPhail said the issue is especially important for people outside larger centres, where the nearest emergency department may be a long drive away.
“When you’re in an emergency situation, the government has real time data that is available to them to let them know when those service disruptions are happening, when their ERs are closed,” McPhail said.
He said patients should be able to check which nearby emergency rooms are accepting patients before getting on the road.
“When you’re in those moments, you need to be able to go to a resource to see what emergency room closest to you is seeing patients,” he added.
McPhail said seven Saskatchewan Party MLAs from within about an hour’s drive of Prince Albert voted against the bill, and argued they should explain that vote to residents who rely on rural emergency services.
“They deserve the right to know if they’re truly trying to sell this patient’s first ideology to the people of Saskatchewan,” McPhail said.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority currently posts service disruption information online. Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill told reporters on Thursday that the province has directed the SHA to increase the frequency of those updates.
As of May 19, the SHA service disruption website will be updated twice daily, at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Cockrill said that the province wants to provide patients with better information, but said Bill 606’s one-hour requirement was not workable from an operational standpoint.
“Eventually we will get closer to real-time information,” Cockrill said. “But at this point, this is what’s workable with the Saskatchewan Health Authority.”
Cockrill said the government voted in favour of the bill at second reading because it agreed with the principle of giving patients more up-to-date information. However, he said further work with the SHA showed the bill was not practical as written.
“I don’t think what’s in the bill is operationally workable for the Saskatchewan Health Authority,” Cockrill said.
The minister said health teams often work until the last moment to avoid a disruption by trying to fill staffing gaps or keep services available. He said that makes the timing of public updates more complicated.
“Our teams at the Saskatchewan Health Authority are doing everything they can to avoid that disruption, ensure that service can be continuous for patients,” Cockrill said.
McPhail questioned the government’s position that faster public reporting is not currently workable. He pointed to Healthline 811, saying if operators can tell callers which hospitals are open, that information should also be available publicly online.
“If that 811 operator has real-time information, that means it’s available to the public,” McPhail said.
Cockrill said 811 remains a resource for patients who need help understanding where services are available closest to them. He said the government’s broader focus remains reducing temporary service disruptions by training more physicians and nurse practitioners and filling nursing vacancies across the province.
McPhail said the NDP will continue pushing the government on health care access, staffing, and service disruptions. He said the bill’s defeat shows the government is not doing enough to keep patients informed.
“We’re going to continue to fight for Saskatchewan patients,” McPhail said. “We’re also going to keep holding this government to account.”
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
