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
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Being harassed at work? What to consider when deciding what to do next
If you've been the victim of workplace harassment, it can be difficult to feel you're not alone - and even more difficult to know where to go with a complaint.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Half of Canadians support TikTok ban, with U.S. concerns 'trickling' north: poll
A new poll indicates 51 per cent of Canadians support banning the social media app TikTok, after a U.S. bill aiming to do just that passed in the House of Representatives.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.