BECK’S TEAM CALLS OUT PRINCE ALBERT & AREA MLAS FOR VOTING DOWN BILL ON REAL-TIME EMERGENCY ROOM CLOSURES

McPhail Vow To Continue Putting Pressure On To Improve Transparency in Rural Healthcare
PRINCE ALBERT – Northern Affairs Shadow Minister Jordan McPhail was in Prince Albert today to call out area Sask. Party MLAs for voting against and defeating Bill 606, The Provincial Health Authority (ER Closure Right-to-Know) Amendment Act, yesterday.

The legislation, introduced by Rural and Remote Health Shadow Minister Jared Clarke, would have required the Saskatchewan Health Authority to publicly report healthcare closures within one hour through an online platform or other electronic means.

Despite admitting that real-time information on closures is available, the Sask. Party refused to share that information, resorting to only updating closures publicly twice a day.

"There are seven MLAs within an hour's drive of Prince Albert — all of which, voted to keep their constituents in the dark about whether the emergency department is open or closed,” McPhail said.

“People in Prince Albert and across northern Saskatchewan deserve to know when and where they can access emergency care — seconds can be the difference between life and and death.”

There is no indication that the emergency room at Prince Albert’s Victoria Hospital is ever fully closed; however, data leaked on multiple occasions to Beck’s team indicates that it’s often well over capacity. Emergency rooms in communities near Prince Albert have been subject to closures. Bill 606 would have helped patients make a decision on when they can attend their community emergency room versus heading into Prince Albert.

On Friday, Clarke vowed to continue fighting with his colleagues for better transparency in rural Saskatchewan healthcare.

“The primary goal is keeping emergency rooms open, but that’s not the reality after 20 years of the Sask. Party — we logged hundreds of closures last year alone,” Clarke said. “The very least these guys can do after driving our healthcare into the ground is come clean on which emergency rooms are actually open.”

“It makes no sense that this government can track a snowplow to the minute but claims to only be able to update the public on healthcare closures twice daily,” Clarke added.

McPhail pointed to ongoing concerns about healthcare access in rural and northern communities, where sudden closures can leave residents scrambling to find care — often with little or no notice.

“The guys that broke our healthcare system can't be trusted to fix it,” said McPhail.

“After 20 years of the Sask. Party, it really is time for change.”

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