Saskatchewan’s 24-hour HealthLine 811 service was down for nearly two hours over the weekend, marking yet another disruption in the province’s embattled healthcare system under the Saskatchewan Party government. The service provides critical access to medical, mental health, and addiction support.
“People count on 811 for medical help,” said Vicki Mowat, Saskatchewan NDP Shadow Minister for Health. “For most people, talking with a nurse over the phone is the fastest option when family doctors are in short supply and our emergency rooms are ranked last place in Canada for wait times. For it to fail with no backup plan is unacceptable.”
The outage is part of a troubling trend of healthcare disruptions in Saskatchewan, with hospitals, emergency rooms, and diagnostic services facing severe staff shortages and closures.
In Saskatoon, City Hospital’s emergency room has been forced to reduce its hours due to a doctor shortage. In Beauval, the community’s health centre has gone without nursing services for nearly a month since January, leaving residents with limited access to care.
Emergency rooms in Porcupine Plain and nearby Tisdale have also been forced to close, pushing patients to travel long distances for urgent medical attention. Meanwhile, in Lloydminster, the city’s CT scanner has repeatedly shut down due to staffing shortages, forcing patients to travel to the Battlefords for imaging—some of whom have reportedly died before receiving care.
“You can’t schedule a health emergency in advance,” said Meara Conway, Saskatchewan NDP Shadow Minister for Rural and Remote Health. “Healthcare should be available when and where you need it.”
The NDP is calling for urgent investment in frontline healthcare services and staffing solutions, arguing that the Sask. Party government has mismanaged the system and prioritized bureaucracy over patient care.
“We need to invest in people and frontline services — not more bureaucracy and middle management,” Conway said. “After 17 years in power and big losses last election, the Sask. Party is too tired to fix the problems they’ve created. We need a government with a plan to fix healthcare and ensure it’s there for every person, both now and into the future.”
The Saskatchewan government has yet to address concerns over the 811 outage or outline measures to prevent future disruptions. Meanwhile, residents across the province continue to face mounting challenges accessing timely and reliable healthcare.