REGINA -- The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses is voicing its concerns about Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the province’s health care facilities.
The union said some nurses have come forward with complaints about PPE limits for staff members each shift.
“They need to be able to come to work, know that they are safe, know that they can keep their patients safe and know that they can keep their family safe,” SUN President Tracy Zambory said.
The union said nurses have reported limits on masks and disinfectant wipes.
“We are not in agreement with rationing and masks,” Zambory said. "We feel that our members and all health care workers that have to deal with a suspected or a confirmed case of COVID-19 should have all of the protective equipment that they require."
The union said the issues surrounding managers telling staff to limit PPE comes down to improper planning.
“Make sure that when we’re faced with this again, that we make sure we understand things that need to be put in place for a long term type of strategy,” Zambory said.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority said it did not direct any health care facilities to ration PPE. It said it is aware of a situation where a manager limited staff members to two masks per shift at the Regina General Hospital, but that was not by the direction of the SHA.
“The Saskatchewan Health Authority is not short of any PPE,” SHA CEO Scott Livingstone said. "It is always a concern as we move farther into the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that our supply lines open up. But there has been no direction across the SHA to ration but we have locked down supplies to ensure we are using them appropriately."
