The Leader of the Official Opposition told the story of an 11 month old baby named Helen during Question Period on Wednesday. Ryan Meili says baby Helen has lost access to vital therapies, an opportunity to receive surgery, and diagnostic testing to confirm her illness because of the shutdown for surgeries and treatments to deal with the number of cases of COVID-19. Meili stated that no child should have to pay the price for the Premier’s failures to control the fourth wave.

Graham Dickson and Laura Weins brought Helen to the Legislative Assembly to call for a comprehensive plan to clear the surgical and diagnostic backlogs. Dickson says the service delays have affected his child immensely because early intervention is key and he worries every day.

Moe replied in Question Period that the Saskatchewan Health Authority is working towards a 50 per cent resumption by next week, then 75 per cent the following week, and 90 per cent of the delayed services will be resumed by the end of the month. During a COVID-19 briefing earlier this week, Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO Scott Livingstone could not say what the timeframe would be to clear the surgery backlog that is currently being experienced.