Sask. nurses' union 'profoundly disappointed' in health budget
The president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) says her membership, particularly those in their mid to late careers, are being “ignored” by the health budget released Wednesday.
“The fact that the healthcare system is collapsing around our ears, has collapsed in some instances, has been ignored,” Tracy Zambory told CTV News.
Hospitals are spread so thin that they’re having to turn people away because there’s no staff to care for patients, she says, including a recent incident where Regina General had to bypass to Pasqua Hospital, and another at the Yorkton ICU.
“We were in such dire straits that the ICU in Yorkton had to go on bypass because there are not enough registered nurses … It’s shocking that there could be such tone deafness and what’s actually going on in health care in this province,” she said.
The province is hanging its hat on recruitment and ignoring the retention side of the puzzle, Zambory says.
At the operating room of Regina General Hospital, she says SUN just found out there are 13 nursing vacancies.
“How are we going to manage, you know, catching up with all of the surgical waitlists that we have on or hands,” she said. “We need to start talking to people and saying, ‘why are you leaving?’”
Zambory says some of the nursing initiatives in the budget like the money for a travel pool were not even something nurses asked for.
“We are in trouble and nothing in this budget is going to change things for registered nurses and the government has done so at their own peril by ignoring all of the conversations that we’ve had,” she said. “We did not discuss a travel nurse pool … there was no discussion with registered nurses or the union on how that would work, if it actually is doable.”
If the Sask. Party was serious about dealing with the 900 current registered nurse vacancies, they would have used some of the $1 billion surplus to work with SUN directly through a task force, says Zambory.
-With files from Laura Woodward
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Ukrainian child asylum seekers in St. John’s get class of their own
Roughly 50 children will gathered in a St. John’s classroom for the first time on Saturday for unique lessons on Ukrainian language, culture and history.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.