A Saskatoon woman who says she and her daughter waited 12 hours in a local emergency room to see a doctor is challenging the premier to get a first-hand look at what is happening at the province’s hospitals.
Fran Forsberg shared her experience at a news conference hosted by the Opposition NDP on Tuesday. She said what she and her daughter saw in the emergency room at Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital was shocking.
“I witnessed a woman who sat there at least six hours have a heart attack right in the waiting room,” Forsberg said. “I witnessed somebody bleed out from wounds and pass out, blood everywhere.”
She said she also saw an elderly woman pay to have an ambulance take her home after waiting almost eight hours and not seeing a doctor.
Forsberg said they visited the hospital twice in three days so her daughter, who was having a mental health crisis, could see a doctor.
Forsberg said they waited 12 hours the first time and six hours the second, and didn’t get a bed either time.
“After 12 hours, I said to the nurse, ‘We’re not going to get a room, are we?’ And she said, ‘No, we can’t even put you in the hall,'” Forsberg said.
“There were stretchers with people on them in the hall. Having your most valuable moments exposed like that to the public is inexcusable.”
A call for change
Vicki Mowat, the NDP’s health critic, said at the news conference that the Saskatchewan Party needs to make real changes in the health-care system.
“It doesn’t have to be this way. If you visit your local ER, you shouldn’t have to schedule eight-plus hours just to finally see a doctor,” Mowat said.
Forsberg challenged Premier Scott Moe and his caucus to sit in a waiting room for eight hours and see what people are going through.
“See [how] you’re putting the people of Saskatchewan at risk and the suffering that this is causing for families and other people.”
Saskatoon mother Fran Forsberg says recent experiences in a local emergency room showed her the reality of health care in the province. She challenged the premier and the provincial health minister to spend eight hours in an ER to see what is going on.
Government says it’s taking action
In a statement to CBC, the provincial Ministry of Health said the government has met with CUPE, SGEU and SEIU-West to explore establishing a nursing task force.
It also noted that the SHA has added 204 beds to Saskatoon’s three adult hospitals through the Saskatoon Capacity Pressure Action Plan.
Forsberg and Mowat said it’s not enough. Mowat said the provincial government should employ more nurses and increase their wages to improve retention.
