By Nigel Maxell

Opposition critical of wait times at Victoria Hospital

Nov 24, 2015 | 5:13 AM

Emergency room wait times at Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert received some attention in Regina Monday afternoon.

The issue was raised during Question Period at the Saskatchewan Legislature.

“The most recent figures for Prince Albert’s emergency room show that urgent patients are waiting up to an hour and 25 minutes to see a doctor — urgent patients. According to national standards, a doctor’s supposed to see urgent patients within at least 30 minutes,” said NDP health critic Danielle Chartier.

Chartier demanded to know what the government planned to do about it.

Health Minister Dustin Duncan responded by saying the government had invested nearly $4.7 million in this year’s budget for emergency departments, an increase of $3 million over the previous year.

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“We know that this is not going to be solved overnight. Mr. Speaker, we know that we have to ensure that we have the proper resources in terms of both in the emergency department as well as changing some of the processes,” said Duncan.

Duncan said in addition to work within the hospital, attention must also be paid to supports outside the emergency departments.

“So whether it be the Home First/Quick Response which is operating in Prince Albert and has been an effective program to the point where we have expanded it in this year’s budget, or seniors’ house call program which we believe will be very helpful to ensure that people are having that proper support provided in their own home,” he said.

Duncan said these initiatives have proven to be very effective in reducing visits to the emergency department.  He added the issue of hospital wait times was also not a new issue, and one the government would continue to work on.

“I can tell you that back in 2004 — this would have been from a then Dr. John Witt — this is what he said:

“Too many days and nights we have the simultaneous arrival of critically ill patients, and it has become routine to make potential heart attack patients wait hours to be seen.” Mr. Speaker, at that time I think the minister of the day basically took a hands-off approach in terms of improving waits in ERs. That’s certainly not the position that we’ve taken as the government, and we will continue to work on this issue,” said Duncan.

Monday’s Question Period debate comes on the heels of an influx of patients at Victoria Hospital over the weekend for the inpatient units.

During an interview with paNOW on Monday, Carol Gregoryk,vice-president of integrated health services for the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region said it was not unusual to experience an influx of people visiting the hospital during the fall and winter months, but she added that this past weekend reached an ultimate high.

She said the overcapacity could be due to the large number of referrals they receive from neighbouring health regions.

nmaxwell@panow.com

On twitter: @nigelmaxwell