Saskatchewan NDP promises to improve rural health care if elected

The Saskatchewan NDP is calling on Scott Moe and the Sask. Party to do more to get health care back on track in rural Saskatchewan.

NDP health critic Vicki Mowat said these issues would be among the first her party would address if it forms a government after elections this fall.

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“If we are given the opportunity to form a government in just a few weeks, we will not hesitate. We will start working immediately to end the health crisis,” she said.

“It's time to get Saskatchewan out of last place, and I know my colleagues and I will not rest until everyone in Saskatchewan has a family doctor, until people can get the surgeries they need, and until our hospitals are open and ready for patients in an emergency.”

Jared Clarke, NDP critic for rural and remote health care, said recruiting and retaining rural health workers will be one of the NDP's key issues if elected.

While this was also a focus of the Saskatchewan Party government, which launched its Health Human Resources Action Plan in 2022, Clarke said the government is not doing enough.

“We've lost one in five rural nurses in the province over the last six years. That's certainly a retention issue, and that's because of the Sask Party,” he said.

“We believe this is a management issue with the government in terms of the way it allocates and treats staff. There is enough money in the health budget to provide the support and services that Saskatchewan people need, when they need them in their communities.”

The NDP said that if elected, it would form a nursing task force – a long-standing demand of the Saskatchewan Nurses Union – to communicate directly with health care workers and listen to their concerns.

Clarke added that the NDP will explore the possibility of creating more full-time rather than part-time nursing positions in rural areas.

“One of the things we're hearing about job vacancies for rural and remote areas right now is that a lot of them are part-time and casual jobs,” he said.

“These communities are unable to attract new nurses and doctors because who is going to move to a small town with their family or partner if they are only offered a temporary or part-time position? That is a big problem. We have heard that across the province and that would certainly be one of our key initiatives – creating full-time and permanent positions.”

The NDP said its comprehensive health care reform plan would be released shortly before the provincial election, which must be held no later than October 28.