Sask. will spend millions to cut surgery backlog

The Saskatchewan government is hoping an injection of cash will bolster a provincial health care system battered by COVID-19 and help cut down a surgical waitlist that ballooned during the pandemic.

In its 2022-23 budget tabled in the legislature Wednesday afternoon, the government announced a record-high $6.8 billion in health spending — an increase of 4.4 per cent over last year.

The lion's share — $6.4 billion — is devoted to the Ministry of Health with another $470 million earmarked for mental health and addictions programs and services.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority's (SHA) budget accounts for $4.2 billion of the planned spending — a $277.1 million increase over last year. 

"As we focused our health care resources on the pandemic over the past two years, that limited our ability to deliver health services," health minister Paul Merriman said in a news release.

"This year's budget will address many of those other priorities and get our health system back on track."

While the Sask. Party government is touting the record-breaking health spending, opposition NDP leader Ryan Meili said it equates to "less than the cost of inflation."

"We have massive challenges that have been revealed. We have doctors leaving the system and we still don't know whether we're gonna see other serious waves that affect our healthcare system," Meili said during a news conference Wednesday morning.

"This budget doesn't get anywhere clear anywhere close to fixing the problem."

SURGICAL WAIT TIMES

A centrepiece of the spending roadmap is $21.6 million for thousands of additional surgeries over the next year.

In its budget, the government said it plans to "deliver the largest volume of surgical procedures in the history of the province" over the next three years in a push to shorten surgical wait times to pre-COVID levels by 2025.

The increased spending comes after a government pledge to cut surgical wait times to three months by 2030.

Wait times for CT and MRI scans are also a focus, with $4.9 million pledged to provide greater access to medical imaging services over the next year.

RECRUITMENT

The work to recruit qualified health care staff also looms large in the budget.

A new agency focused on finding and retaining health care workers will be created and $3.5 million will be spent on recruiting doctors, with a focus on staffing family physicians in rural areas."Any bed can be an ICU bed, put a ventilator on it and it's an ICU bed," Finance minister Donna Harpauer said during a news conference held Wednesday morning in Regina in advance of the budget's release.

"If you don't have the highly trained staff to staff it then you don't have an ICU bed."

The government will also move forward with its plan to recruit 300 health workers from the Philippines over the next two years for "critical and hard-to-fill" postings — with $1.5 million set aside for the task.

• Here's why Sask. may be in a tough spot to recruit Filipino health workers

While it doesn't technically fall under health spending, the education portion of the budget has $4.9 million set aside to expand nurse training in the province by 150 seats.

INTENSIVE CARE

Following a year where the province's intensive care capacity was stretched beyond its limits the budget also outlines spending devoted to increasing the number of ICU beds available in Saskatchewan.

Eleven new ICU beds will be funded by $12.5 million in new money, bringing the provincial total to 90 beds. The province is aiming to reach 110 beds by 2025.

Another $3 million will create 10 "high acuity" beds at Regina General Hospital reserved for patients with complex needs who do not require intensive care.

Neonatal intensive care at Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert is also receiving a funding boost — $2.5 million to support specialized care.

An increase of $10.8 million in spending for emergency medical services is intended to improve service in rural and remote areas and fund new paramedic positions.

COVID-19 FUNDING

While much of this year's planned health spending is meant to help undo the damage wrought by the pandemic, COVID-19 is still very much a daily reality.

In light of this reality, the province is devoting $95 million to its ongoing pandemic response.

The funding will cover the cost of personal protective equipment and 58 temporary acute care beds in Regina and Saskatoon.

The money will also help offset the increased costs oof perating due to COVID-19. 

CANCER CARE

Continuing the trend of record health care spending, the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency will have its highest-ever operating budget for 2022-23.

The health budget reserves $219.8 million for the agency, a 7.7 per cent increase.

The money will fund drugs and therapies, the hiring of a new medical oncologist at the College of Medicine, and the expansion of the bone marrow transplant program.

Screening and providing access to treatment closer to where patients live are also outlined as spending priorities.

SENIORS CARE

A $17 million increase in the budget is devoted to caring for older people.

The budget allotment includes $4.8 million for home care services, $4.1 million for high-dose influenza vaccines for people over 65 and $6.5 million for 117 new continuing care aide positions.

The new positions come in the second year of a three-year push to hire 300 new care aides, with 108 positions created last year.

Meadow Lake Northwest Community Lodge will also receive $1.6 million in operational funding.