The Saskatchewan NDP is putting a spotlight on the mother-child service disruptions seen in hospitals across the province.
“Obstetrical services in Meadow Lake Hospital are once again disrupted for the holiday season until Jan. 2,” health critic Vicki Mowat said Friday.
Mowat said Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) data they obtained through freedom of information requests show that obstetrical services at that hospital have been disrupted a total of 66 days this year between January and August, and a total of 157 days since 2020.
“Mothers in labour should not have to drive from town to town looking for a doctor in the dead of winter,” Mowat said.
“Health care should be available when and where you need it. It’s not like pregnant women can schedule births in advance.”
She said service disruptions have been seen in other hospitals as well, naming hospitals in Prince Albert, Yorkton, Swift Current, Moose Jaw and Estevan.
Mowat said the data they received spans back as far as 2019.
“In terms of total days where obstetrical services were closed at Saskatchewan hospitals, 2023 far exceeded those previous four years and four months are still unreported.”
She said across the province, obstetrical services were disrupted a total of 98 days in hospitals between January and August of this year.
For all of 2022, there were 99 closures in hospitals across the province; that number was 29 in all of 2021 and 27 in 2020.
Mowat said she has heard concerns from mothers about having health care available when they need it.
“We are a wealthy province, this should not be the case.”
The SHA website has the current Meadow Lake Hospital obstetrical service disruption listed, saying the disruption is running from Dec. 1 to Jan. 2.
The notice on the website said expectant mothers would be contacted by their obstetrician and that mothers in the area requiring obstetrical services should still go to the hospital to be screened.
It was noted that patients may be transferred to Battlefords Union Hospital, the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon or Lloydminster Hospital.
Global News has reached out to the Ministry of Health and the SHA for comment and received a statement from the ministry.
The ministry said the provincial government was committed to stabilizing health care in places where service disruptions are seen.
“In the case of Meadow Lake, the obstetrical unit of the Northwest Integrated Health Care Facility typically supports planned low risk births when staffing is appropriate to support the service. Patients requiring assessment or imminent delivery should continue to present at the hospital,” the ministry said.
It added that service disruptions can come from staff vacancies, illness or vacation, and that they are actively recruiting to fill vacancies seen in rural Saskatchewan.