The Official Opposition advocated for improved healthcare services during Question Period at the Legislative Assembly on April 3, when Leader of the Opposition Carla Beck raised the issue of insufficient ambulance service. Health Ministers responded by referring to increased healthcare funding in the 2023-2024 budget released last month.
Lack of EMS service in Saskatchewan has been an ongoing challenge and officials have sought to implement solutions, but Beck and other NDP members feel it is not enough. On Monday, Beck cited documentation obtained through an Official Opposition freedom of information re-quest. She said the data indicated that there were 216 times in the first six weeks of 2023 that people called for an ambulance, but Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) was unable to pro-vide one. Matt Love, Saskatoon Eastview MLA, later noted that Indian Head was negatively im-pacted seven times during that period, with Whitewood residents finding no ambulance avail-able five times, and Kipling twice.
In response to the NDP, Minister of Health Paul Merriman noted the government’s attempt “to improve overall flow” within the healthcare system so that patients are moved to appropriate beds and those transported by ambulance can be admitted to emergency rooms more quickly. These efforts include funding for additional staff, adding 64 permanent acute and complex care beds to the system, as well as constructing urgent care centres in Regina and Saskatoon.
Everett Hindley, Minister of Rural and Remote Health, responded in a similar manner, referring to specific budget supports for EMS staff. The government included an investment of $7.3 mil-lion in its 2022-2023 budget to support the stabilization of emergency medical services with additional paramedics, ambulances, and funding in 27 communities across the province.
This funding would add 70 full time equivalent positions in selected communities, including Indian Head. SHA provides twenty-four hour ambulance service for Indian Head through a combination of on duty and on call scheduling. SHA told Grasslands News last year that the funding would provide for an additional eight hour on duty crew (daily) that would be on stand-by for 16 hours.
On Monday, Hindley stated that increases to EMS staffing continue this year with $3.5 million allocated for 33 additional full-time equivalent positions in 27 communities. This is part of an $8.8 million increase in the 2023-2024 budget to stabilize services in a number of rural and remote areas, provide additional support for contracted EMS operators, and fund EMS system and radio upgrades. Minister Hindley assured the opposition that meetings are being held regularly with EMS service providers and others to implement these solutions to the province-wide problem.
