REGINA - A Code Orange was apparently called on Thursday at the Regina General Hospital, said the NDP.
A Code Orange "is when there is an external disaster or mass casualty situation where a large number of patients are expected to arrive almost all at the same time," according to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA).
Sources told the NDP that available staff were called in, while patients were placed in reclining chairs and temporary beds in the hallway, as the Emergency Department (ED) had a lack of beds available.
The hospital was also apparently considering transferring patients to rural and primary care sites to help take the pressure off.
SaskToday reached out to the SHA to confirm this, but they had no immediate comments.
Beck calls for healthcare support
The news comes as NDP leader Carla Beck addressed CUPE Sask. workers on Friday at their annual convention.
Beck called on the Sask. Party to invest in the healthcare sector, which includes wage increases and services for staff.
CUPE Sask. hasn’t received pay increases in three years, which they called "unacceptable."
While Beck wouldn’t comment on the increases CUPE Sask. is exactly looking for, she did say it depends on the sector and local organization.
The NDP have been concerned with the drop in rural and remote nurses, citing a report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), where the province lost over 500 nurses between 2018 and 2023.
However, the Ministry of Health has stated that licensed physicians in Saskatchewan increased 67 per cent between 2007 and 2024.
Additionally, "Saskatchewan’s Registered Nurses (RN) rates per 100,000 residents rose to 973 in 2023, up from 940 in 2019, a 3.5 per cent increase," the government mentioned.
When asked about those numbers, Beck talked about the closures of rural services in the province.
With more support needed for frontline workers, Beck made it clear, "if we want to see this province prosper, we need to ensure that people have the services that they need."
