REGINA - Health Minister Paul Merriman has confirmed that some beds at Kamsack Hospital are back open.
Saskatchewan Health Authority announced this week that five beds at the Kamsack Hospital will re-open to admissions, effective Monday, Nov. 14, 2022.
In speaking to reporters Monday, Merriman called it a “first step of a few steps to be able to get them back.”
“I’ve been told that their emergency services open Monday to Friday. I think it’s from 8 (a.m.) ‘till 6:30 (p.m.) which is a definite improvement for the area, but we’ve still got more work to do. It’s part of our human resource plan that is starting to stabilize a lot of the areas in rural Saskatchewan.”
Merriman added he hopes for further announcements in future weeks, and hopes to get the hospital emergency back to 24 hour operation as well.
Kamsack Hospital has seen temporary service disruptions, included reduced ER hours and a shutdown of all acute beds this summer due to staffing shortages at the hospital.
The shutdown had prompted protests of the disruptions at Kamsack Hospital in July, attended by 300 people including members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
In September the province announced their four-point action plan to "recruit, train, incentivize and retain" health care workers in Saskatchewan. The government is investing $60 million over the coming years in that action plan with a goal to add upwards of 1,000 health care workers to the system.
