"The Government tried to hide this report, because they know that they've failed the people of Lloydminster when it comes to healthcare, just like they've failed every single community across Saskatchewan," said Carla Beck.
"This scathing report shows an utter disregard for the health of the people of Lloydminster and makes it clear that the solution to saving public healthcare in Saskatchewan is by changing the government to one that cares more about fixing the problems, than hiding them."
The 261-page report commissioned by the Alberta and Saskatchewan governments identifies a long list of deficiencies across multiple areas of care, and calls for expanded surgical capacity, a regional ICU, stronger maternity services, and major mental-health investments.
“When I read the report I was absolutely floored,” said Meara Conway, Shadow Minister for Health. “The Sask. Party has ignored problems identified as far back as 2013, then tried to bury the full needs assessment and replace it with a watered-down summary that omitted critical findings about the state of healthcare in Lloydminster, as well as every single recommendation.”
“The people of Lloydminster — all Saskatchewan people, for that matter — deserve healthcare and government that is built on honest and transparency, not spin and secrecy.”
Some of the most serious issues identified in the report include:
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Lloydminster Hospital is no longer adequate for the people it serves and is not equipped to meet projected future demand.
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The Sask Party closed the intensive care unit despite provincial regulations requiring one.
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Gaps in seniors care set to worsen as aging population increases.
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Residents are being forced to leave the community for services that the report says should be delivered locally.
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Primary care services are critically understaffed, forcing patients into emergency rooms because they cannot access family doctors.
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Emergency wait times have doubled and more patients are leaving without being seen - second worst rates in province.
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Longer waits for critical surgeries.
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The emergency department is acting as a holding environment for mental health patients in crisis because there are no psychiatric beds. This contributes to congestion and safety risks for patients and staff. There’s only one psychiatrist for a catchment area of 217,000 people.
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RCMP officers have become the default mental-health response system because the health system is not responding to urgent mental health needs.
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Newborns are regularly being transferred to other centers not because of healthcare needs but because of staffing shortages.
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Cross-provincial bureaucracy is making it difficult for patients to access consistent, coordinated care leading to duplication of testing, increased radiation exposure for patients, and higher overall costs that could otherwise be devoted to patient care.
"Withholding this report is dismissive and has significantly undermined public trust in those responsible for healthcare in our region," said Paul Richer, Chair of the Lloydminster & District Health Advisory Council. "Citing confidentiality concerns for a report that consists of data and facts has no merit. It is a clear indication that serious shortcomings are being concealed."
“Taxpayers paid for this study and all we have is a four-page press release filled with patently false statements that tries to hide real problems by calling them 'opportunities' or 'challenges,' while revealing extraordinarily little useful information,” said John Erkelens, Past President of the Lloydminster Concerned Citizens for Seniors Care Society.
In 2013, the Lloydminster Integrated Health Services and Facility Infrastructure Needs Assessment reached many of the same conclusions calling for immediate action to improve mental health care, surgical services, critical care and primary care—issues that have only worsened in the years since.
“We believe that the issues raised in the 2013 study were not only not addressed but the underlying need identified for expansion of the suite of health services has been utterly and deliberately ignored,” Darrell Dunn, President, Lloydminster Concerned Citizens for Seniors Care Society.
The report says rather than the Saskatchewan Health Authority simply reacting to one crisis after another, the challenges facing Lloydminster require substantial planning and sustained investment and stronger coordination between the two provinces.
"The Moe government didn’t want people to see this report because it exposes the reality facing people in the area,” said Jared Clarke, Shadow Minister for Rural & Remote Health. " "People in Lloydminster have been sounding the alarm for years, and this report proves they were right. Instead of fixing the problems, the Sask. Party tried to bury the evidence. This community deserves answers, accountability and a plan."
Recently, Carla Beck's team released the interim report from its province-wide healthcare consultation, YourCareYourSay.ca. The consultation continues throughout the summer, with a final report and recommendations to be released in the coming months.
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* An electronic copy of the report is available upon request