A Freedom of Information (FOI) regarding the General Hospital in Regina has prompted the Sask. NDP to ask questions about health infrastructure in the province.
The FOI revealed a number of problems reported by staff at the facility including issues in the Infectious Disease Clinic and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
In a note from the official opposition, workers in the Infectious Disease Clinic said their department is in “terrible disrepair” where duct tape is being used to hold down the lino at almost all of the clinic’s entrances. Strips of tape have also been used in rooms.
Staff believe the NICU at the General Hospital has a “possible infection control issue” if there are no repairs done to the service room.
Opposition leader Ryan Meili feels the government has been irresponsible by ignoring these issues with billions of dollars in infrastructure deficit. He said this is a failure to invest and plan ahead.
“This is a government that likes to say ‘we’ve been put in this many dollars and this much work’, but the way you test if you’re succeeding is whether the outcomes are better,” stated Meili.
“When you see things going backwards, it really doesn’t matter how many dollars or how much effort was put in.”
Workers have also noted issues such as faulty oxygen outlets, dripping ceilings and fall risks that were reported to the government back in February. However staff say the problems haven’t been fixed as of last month.
Meili said this situation could affect people’s health, hurt their quality of care and pose safety hazards for health workers. “You get in the hospital to get better. You don’t want to be exposed to more potential illnesses.”
Health Minister Jim Reiter said the government recognizes there are serious issues in some facilities and that they are committed to addressing them.
“We’re at about $55 million this budget year, it’s a $10 million increase over last year,” he explained. “The ministry talks with the Saskatchewan Health Authority to talk about the kind of maintenance issues they were struggling with, what the priority should be, and try to land on a reasonable dollar amount.”
The estimated deferred maintenance for health care facilities in the province was $3.3 billion in May 2018. The average age of health care facilities in Saskatchewan is 40 years.