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<\/p>\n\u201cMake no mistake, we are in a health care crisis, and the Sask. Party government is making it worse,\u201d Clarke said during a stop in Prince Albert on Aug. 11. <\/p>\n
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\u201cWhat started as ER and surgery closures are now expanded into almost every part of our healthcare system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clarke pointed to Prince Albert\u2019s Victoria Hospital, which he said saw 113 days of disruptions since 2018, including a 20-day stretch last spring. <\/p>\n
He also said there have been cases of mothers giving birth on the side of the road and patients in crisis being rerouted because nearby ERs were closed.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople show up literally to their local hospital and find a sign on the door telling them that the hospital is closed,\u201d Clarke said.<\/p>\n
Government says closures are real but steps are being taken<\/p>\n
Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said service disruptions do happen, but the province is working with affected communities and taking action to reduce them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do have service disruptions from time to time around the province and\u2026 when they do happen, we engage with the local community and\u2026 provide them the information as best as we have it,\u201d Cockrill said.<\/p>\n
He said the government has added permanent full-time positions<\/a> in 30 rural and remote communities, including Prince Albert, Shellbrook and North Battleford, converted 77 part-time or temporary positions into full-time roles, and hired more nurse practitioners and physician assistants.<\/p>\n