Saskatchewan nurses do not feel adequately prepared to handle an Ebola case if one surfaced in the province, according to the union that represents them.
The province began discussions on Ebola preparedness in August, but the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses says it wasn’t included in those talks until Thursday.
SUN president Tracy Zambory says nurses are concerned about a lack of training and proper protective equipment at Regina General Hospital and Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon – the two centres designated for suspected and confirmed cases of Ebola.
“If an Ebola case walked into either of those hospitals today, the registered nurses do not feel prepared,” Zambory said.
She says the standard protective equipment nurses in the province would be asked to don is the same worn by two nurses who contracted Ebola during a recent outbreak in Dallas, Texas.
Zambory said nurses in Saskatchewan should be provided with the best protective gear possible, including hazardous materials suits and respirators.
Saskatchewan’s deputy chief medical health officer says the standard protective equipment meets the guidelines of the World Health Organization and other agencies in Canada and the U.S.
Dr. Denise Werker says while the risk of Ebola is relatively low in Saskatchewan, the province is working to ensure that health-care workers are properly trained and protected to deal with a possible case of the deadly virus.
“We do want, obviously, all of our health-care workers to feel comfortable in terms of managing this. This is not going to happen overnight,” Werker said.
“We will have to have an ongoing discussion with the union. We’re committed to working with them and reaching a place that makes everyone happy that the health-care workers are safe.”
