A confidential memo was shared by the Sask. NDP from the Saskatchewan Health Authority telling staff members not to talk to political parties or MLAs about hospitals.
“The Sask. Party government is running our hospitals into the ground and muzzling the nurses and doctors trying to speak up,” said Opposition health critic Vicki Mowat.
“We’re in a national competition to hire and retain healthcare workers. This government should be listening to healthcare workers, not silencing and censoring them.”
Staff members from Lanigan Integrated Hospital were told to direct any questions aimed at them to central co-ordination.
The memo was issued when NDP MLAs visited Lanigan as part of their outreach tour on Feb. 7.
“This muzzling-memo raises serious questions about the Sask. Party’s credibility when it comes to healthcare,” said ethics and democracy critic Meara Conway.
“The Sask. Party’s decision to centralize health regions has not improved our hospitals or made waits shorter. If anything, we’ve seen repeated attempts by this current government to politicize healthcare decision-making and silence healthcare workers from speaking out.”
Health Minister Paul Merriman addressed the memo, saying he learned about it when the media did.
“There was a memo generalized to all SHA staff, part of their normal routine communications from SHA head office.”
He said there’s an individual within the SHA who co-ordinates tours to minimize disruption.
Merriman said he and his colleagues have to go through the same process if they want to tour through SHA facilities as well.
“We can’t just walk in.”
When asked why the memo said for staff not to answer questions, Merriman claimed the memo was “modified” and didn’t know where it stemmed from.
“It’s mere speculation on why the language was modified, but that wasn’t the intent of the original memo.”
He said the intent was to co-ordinate for patient safety and minimize disruption.
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