(Submitted Photo/Saskatchewan NDP)

By Derek Craddock

MEILI IN PA

‘It’s very dangerous’: NDP leader calls for more support for Prince Albert’s healthcare system

Sep 23, 2021 | 5:55 PM

Saskatchewan’s Opposition leader said Prince Albert’s healthcare system is buckling under the pressure of the fourth wave of COVID-19.

NDP Leader Ryan Meili was in the city Thursday meeting with health workers and community leaders about the COVID-19 pressure that is pushing the region’s health system to the brink.

He also called for Premier Scott Moe and Health Minister Paul Merriman to request military support and help from the federal government to support hospitals before it is too late.

“There has been a lot of attention paid to the extreme pressures on our hospitals in Regina and Saskatoon, but as the gateway to the North, Prince Albert’s hospital and health workers are also buckling under the mounting pressure,” Meili said. “In recent weeks we have heard tragic stories of infants being hospitalized with COVID-19 and resources for premature babies being diverted for COVID care. It didn’t have to come to this.”

NDP Health Critic Vicki Mowat made a similar plea Wednesday saying that members of the military could do anything from helping in hospitals — if they’re trained in that way — to providing logistical and planning support to just providing boots on the ground for things like cleaning, transportation and contacting members of the public.

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“We are in a crisis right now and we have folks that are trained in a whole host of different areas to be able to provide that service,” Mowat said.

Meili’s comments in Prince Albert come as the province reported 460 news cases of COVID-19 and another record day for hospitalizations and ICU admissions.

He added Prince Albert continues to see significant rates of transmission in schools and that measures for students and staff should change.

“It’s very dangerous. There are no isolation orders. We need vaccine mandates for schools as well as proper isolation for close contacts,” Meili said.

Currently, the provincial rules state that a student who is deemed a close contact and is unvaccinated, can come to class but not participate in extracurricular activities. If they’re vaccinated, they can continue as normal while monitoring for symptoms.

While vaccine passports will soon come into effect for places like restaurants and entertainment venues, Meili said more needs to be done to ensure vaccination rates increase.

He said the Premier needs to step up before the health care system in Prince Albert suffers more.

“Scott Moe is taking the people of Prince Albert for granted while our healthcare system is on the brink of collapse as a result of his choice to take the summer off and ignore the signs of the pandemic’s fourth wave. The people of Prince Albert deserve better.”

On Sept. 8, Prince Albert’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Khami Chokani told Prince Albert City Council that the health care system was under imminent threat and worried that Prince Albert would not make it through the fourth wave.

With files from CKOM News

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Derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @PA_Craddock