Today New Democrat Leader Ryan Meili released documents detailing capacity issues at the Royal University Hospital and St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon, which limit “the system’s ability to ensure patients are receiving the care they need” over the weekend.

“The Sask. Party government keeps saying everything is fine in our hospitals, despite mounting evidence that hallway medicine is the norm,” said Meili. “These documents clearly show that people are being let down when they go to the hospital. They’re not getting the care they need.”

The documents show that, as of Saturday, there were 150 patients “not where they should be” at Royal University and St. Paul’s Hospital.

“There is simply no excuse, in Saskatchewan today, for this many people to be struggling to get the care they need,” Meili said. “This is a crisis that should have been entirely predictable to the Sask. Party. You can’t make long-term care more expensive, refuse to take action on mental health, cut emergency room initiatives and home care, and then wonder why we’re having problems in our hospitals.”

Meili reiterated the NDP’s call for a full review of hallway medicine, as well as calling for re-investment in home care and long-term care.