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NDP asking questions following medical information line outage

By Neil Billinger Feb 24, 2025 | 5:14 PM

Weekend problems with the HealthLine 811 number is the latest medical concern being highlighted by the NDP.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority says the outage was about 40 minutes between 4:55pm and 5:35pm on Saturday. The outage did not impact access to emergency services.

HealthLine 811 is used by people wanting medical advice or for those seeking mental health and addictions assistance. The line—which the NDP says received over 100,000 calls last year—is staffed by specially trained Registered Nurses and Registered Social Workers. Sometimes callers want to know if they are dealing with a medical emergency.

NDP Health critic Vicki Mowat says there have been several healthcare issues in recent days, such as the reduction in emergency room hours at Saskatoon City Hospital, simultaneous emergency room closures in Porcupine Plain and Tisdale and staffing issues in Lloydminster, which has forced some patients to drive to the Battlefords for a CT scan.