Saskatchewan NDP leader Ryan Meili is calling an internal review into long-term care standards by the government “an insult.”
Meili said on Friday he wants to see the government do a proper review of long-term care and commit to appointing an independent seniors’ advocate while introducing legislated minimum care standards.
“These are the steps forward that will allow us to get the real story and to get people the care that they need in our long-term care facilities,” stated Meili.
“We’re calling on the government to stop the internal review and actually get started with an external expert review so we can get real answers.”
He mentioned that a statement from the Saskatchewan Health Authority on Thursday shows an internal review of its guidelines is underway.
The leader of the opposition added that he’s been hearing from a lot of residents that there is a problem when it comes to accessing COVID-19 tests.
Meili said people are calling HealthLine 811 expecting a callback within hours, but they aren’t getting a response until a few days later.
“There’s further lag time to when they actually can get in and get an appointment,” he noted. “Sadly, as this government says they are going to allow more people to be tested, the resources aren’t in place to do that quickly and effectively.”
He believes the Sask. Party needs to recognize the way things are operating right now are not working and that a change is needed so people can get tested right away when they return to work and return to school.
