CUPE health care workers and the provincial NDP joined concerned Kamsack citizens in calling for immediate steps to stop bed closures at the local hospital. As of Wednesday, all acute care beds at the Kamsack Hospital were shut down and the Emergency Room only operates from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the end of August.
NDP Critic for Seniors, Matt Love, explains that there have been months of disruptions, with patients being redirected to hospitals in Yorkton, Canora and Preeceville, which are also having service disruptions and bed closures.

CUPE spokesperson, Bashir Jalloh, says, “Our health care system is fraying. Communities across Saskatchewan no longer have access to reliable health care services.” He notes that in recent weeks there have been bed closures and ER shutdowns in Melville, Spiritwood, Esterhazy and Broadview, although not all of them are listed on the Saskatchewan Health Authority website.

CUPE’s solutions for recruitment and retention include market supplements in hard-to-recruit classifications and communities and more permanent, full-time job postings. The rally was held on Thursday as Canora-Pelly MLA Terry Dennis and Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors and Rural and Remote Health, Everett Hindley, toured the hospital.

CJGX