In recent months, many people seeking care at any of Saskatoon’s hospitals have felt the effects of capacity issues created by a lack of healthcare staff and hospital beds.

Stephanie Fehr is an emergency nurse at St. Paul’s Hospital, which she says functions at 200 per cent capacity every day. This means they have two times the number of patients that there are resources for. Fehr says when this happens, patients are placed in storage rooms, hallways, and often left in the waiting room.

“That means no privacy for patients on the worst day of their life. No privacy for finding out that your husband of 50 years is dying. No privacy when a doctor is going to give you a new cancer diagnosis, or no privacy when you find out you’re having a miscarriage.”

To combat this, the provincial NDP is committing to opening the Saskatoon City Hospital emergency room 24/7 if elected.

Fehr adds that two weeks ago, St. Paul’s Hospital had 41 patients in their care without a bed.

“So, on average, we admit to our department 118 emergency patients every day. That math, if it wasn’t clear, 41 admitted patients, plus 118 emergency patients, does not equal 33 beds that we have to function out of.”

Health Critic Vicki Mowat says in order to make a go of the extended emergency room hours, additional staff would need to be hired so that extending the hours isn’t a burden on current staff.

“The pressures are so high on existing emergency room staff right now, that folks are burning out at alarming rates. So, in order to try and keep those folks around, provide some hope, and provide the patient care that people need, we would be looking to do that as soon as possible.”

She says increased community resources are great, but more acute care beds are what is needed, as there is at least a 50-bed deficit in Saskatoon alone. She calls on the current government to start listening to healthcare workers and provide solutions.