Nurses Expose Alarming Conditions in Saskatchewan Maternity Wards

According to recent reports, nurses in Saskatchewan have been exposing alarming conditions in the province's maternity wards. The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses has been publishing letters from its members detailing a range of problems, including short staffing, lack of beds, outdated equipment, and improper care.

The union's president, Bryce Boynton, has acknowledged the staffing issues as the primary concern. He explains that nurses are seeing an increase in patients with more complex health issues, but without a corresponding increase in resources and support to provide those services. This has led to a rise in burnout, with nurses feeling "fed up and tired" and struggling to deliver the level of care they would like.

One letter from a nurse working in the neonatal intensive care unit at the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital in Saskatoon paints a particularly concerning picture. The nurse states that every single shift is short-staffed, with the unit sometimes having no open beds available. The nurse even advised family members not to come to the hospital due to the unsafe conditions.

Similar issues have been reported at the Regina General Hospital's labour and birth unit, where patients are allegedly being denied basic care, forced to wait for hours, and even delivering in triage beds due to capacity pressures.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has acknowledged the challenges, citing an "extremely high number" of births at the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital in July, as well as staff vacations and unexpected illnesses. However, the authority maintains that patient safety remained the top priority, with the highest-risk patients always prioritized for care.