The NDP says Saskatchewan has a severe surgical backlog and the provincial government needs to do something about it. The official opposition cites that more than 28-thousand people are waiting for surgery as the wait list continues to grow.

Leader Ryan Meili says, “Making people wait in pain and with uncertainty to get the surgery they need costs more, as delayed operations cause more severe and costly complications.” A news release from the NDP says 72 per cent of those waiting for surgery have done so for more than 3 months, and compared to a decade ago, there is a 14 per cent rise in the number of people waiting over 6 months for surgery.

Meili highlights a situation where a Saskatoon woman, Anna Hartman, has waited a year for a double hip replacement, but she still who may have to wait another 18 months or more before her surgery date. Hartman says her quality of life has gone down and her pain has gone up, and she’s not able to sleep more than an hour or 2 at a time, and the wait has caused new problems in her knee and shoulder because of the strain.