Saskatchewan NDP Caucus

NDP, advocate call for expanded insulin pump coverage for all patients with Type 1 diabetes

Today NDP Health Critic Vicki Mowat was joined by Paul Kuspira, who has Type 1 diabetes and is an insulin pump user, to call on the government to provide coverage for everyone with Type 1 diabetes who uses a pump in the province.

“Diabetes is a growing problem in Saskatchewan and right now, the provincial government is letting people like Paul down by not providing coverage for pumps for those over 25,” Mowat said. “There is no reason for the government to not follow in the steps of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and the territories who already provide coverage.”

NDP and advocate call for restored obstetrics care for the northeast

As more and more families from northeast Saskatchewan are left with no choice but to travel to Saskatoon and Prince Albert for obstetrics services after the shutdown at the Flin Flon General Hospital, local residents impacted by long stays away from their community are calling on the government to act. Today, NDP leader Ryan Meili and Health Critic Vicki Mowat were joined by Kirsten Fritsch, a member of the We Want Birth Committee, to call on the government to stop letting down the people of Flin Flon and area.

“How is it fair or right for the Sask. Party to expect pregnant women to travel hours away from their home to give birth?” Meili said. “As more families are forced to travel to our major centres for basic services, it puts more strain on an already overburdened healthcare system. The Sask. Party’s unwillingness to work with the Manitoba government to find a solution here is letting more and more people down.”

Reality Check: Did Scott Moe break his promise to hire 400 more educational assistants?

Yes.

NDP calls for whistleblower protections for Health Authority employees

Today the Saskatchewan NDP called on the government to extend whistleblower protection to the Saskatchewan Health Authority and its employees through the Public Interest Disclosure Act, which currently excludes them.

The move to extend whistleblower legislation to the province’s health sector is intended to address the culture of fear that prevails under the Sask. Party. It follows the release earlier this week of a Saskatchewan Health Authority hush memo warning frontline healthcare workers not to speak to the media, their licensing body or outside agencies without SHA approval, and not to include newsworthy information in meeting minutes.

NDP exposes hush memo that seeks to silence health care workers

NDP Leader Ryan Meili raised questions today about a memo from the Saskatchewan Health Authority instructing frontline workers not to speak publicly about problems in health care in response to “a number of instances of challenging that have not met communication standards.” 

The memo, obtained through an FOI request, instructed Saskatchewan doctors to stop advocating for patients or even communicating with their licensing body without SHA approval, and to edit controversial issues from meeting minutes “if you do not want to see it in the newspaper.” 

“Terrible disrepair”: NDP seeks answers on crumbling health infrastructure

The NDP released troubling findings from a Freedom of Information request that shows the Sask. Party is letting Saskatchewan people down by ignoring glaring health infrastructure issues.

“The Sask. Party wants to brag about growth, but they’ve got no plan to ensure that our healthcare system is keeping up,” said NDP Health Critic Vicki Mowat. “They’ll do everything they can to distract people from their failure to keep our hospitals running smoothly.”