Question Period (5 December 2023)

From Hansard (5 December 2023)

To view this section on video, click here and start play at 2:12:05 PM.

 Provision of Health Care Services by Private Facilities

Mr. Love: — Mr. Speaker, it is astounding to see the effort that that minister puts into patting himself on the back while people wait for care. If he cared half as much about this province’s health care resources, Saskatchewan’s only hyperbaric chamber wouldn’t be shut down today. The chamber in Moose Jaw is sitting there, out of order, because they don’t have staff to operate it. So patients have to fly to — you guessed it, Mr. Speaker — Calgary.

To the minister: when will Saskatchewan’s only hyperbaric chamber be back in use?

Hon. Mr. T. McLeod: — Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Stabilizing and strengthening the staffing in Moose Jaw and our other communities right across Saskatchewan is a priority for our government, Mr. Speaker. That’s why our government has the health human resources action plan to recruit, train, incentivize, and retain more health care professionals right across the province.

Mr. Speaker, the SHA is actively recruiting to fill the vacant respiratory therapist positions required to restore the hyperbaric chamber in Moose Jaw at the Wigmore Hospital. Two of these positions are currently filled, Mr. Speaker. A third has recently been recruited and will be starting in the new year. Mr. Speaker, the SHA plans to resume the hyperbaric chamber service as soon as a fourth respiratory therapist has been successfully hired. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---

 Overdose Deaths and Treatment for Addictions

To view this section on video, start play at 2:30:40 PM in the video link provided above.

Ms. Conway: — Mr. Speaker, we still haven’t received this month’s death statistics from the coroner’s office. But we already know it’s going to be another record-setting year for overdose deaths in the province, another year of hundreds of parents, children, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives all lost to addiction.

We want to see progress. We deserve to see that line going down. Instead we see 2023 worse than 2022. How is that minister going to prevent another record-setting year of deaths in 2024?

Hon. Mr. T. McLeod: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And as I said yesterday, what we’ve seen is this government making a record investment in mental health and addictions in this province, Mr. Speaker. We have an ambitious mental health and addictions action plan that is more than doubling the addictions treatment spaces to be available and easily accessible to individuals who may be struggling with addictions so that they can overcome those addictions, Mr. Speaker, and live a life in recovery.

Mr. Speaker, this investment is ambitious, and we are just at the front end. We are going to see this plan roll out over the next five years, Mr. Speaker. And I’m excited to see the growth that this plan will develop in the mental health and addictions treatment facilities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---

Back to 2023/2024 Session