Firefighters, families, Opposition call for Moose Jaw hyperbaric chamber reopening

MOOSE JAW - Today, the Official Opposition stood with Taylor Enns, president of the Moose Jaw Firefighters Association, and Brayden Dutchak, the son of a cancer survivor. Together, they called on the Sask. Party government to reopen Saskatchewan’s only hyperbaric chamber.

“Families, healthcare workers and firefighters worked so hard to open this hyperbaric chamber. The people of Moose Jaw did their part, but this tired and out-of-touch government has not held up their end of the bargain,” said Opposition Leader Carla Beck. “This current premier just isn’t focused on the issues that matter most, like healthcare when and where you need it.”

The Sask. Party government closed Saskatchewan’s only hyperbaric chamber in 2021. This decision forces burn victims, cancer patients, and others in need of life-saving oxygen treatment to travel to Alberta or Ontario for care that used to be provided in Moose Jaw.

The hyperbaric chamber opened in 2015 after months of pressure from the Moose Jaw community and a $850,000 fundraising drive spearheaded by Moose Jaw firefighters. The Wall government frequently lauded the hyperbaric chamber as the main showpiece of Moose Jaw’s hospital.

“We need to hire more healthcare workers and end the culture of burnout and fear that drives healthcare workers out of our province,” said Rural and Remote Health Critic Jared Clarke. “This government has had 17 years to get it right. The longer they are in power, the further our families and friends will have to travel for basic care.”

Since 2019, emergency rooms, laboratories, operating theatres and other services have closed at 53 different hospitals and health centres across Saskatchewan.

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