Sask. health authority refutes claim NICU patients sent to U.S.

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The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is denying claims that a surge in demand at Regina’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) has resulted in families being sent to the United States for care.

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The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) says the “situation at the NICU has been dire for weeks” and that it has received dozens of complaints from health-care workers in the unit at Regina General Hospital, according to an NDP news release issued Monday.

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The union told Global News that the situation has led to families being sent to North Dakota, but it did not offer specifics.

On Tuesday, the NDP Opposition said it plans to introduce an emergency motion urging the province to address the crisis in Regina’s NICU and repeated claims that some babies have been sent to the U.S.

In an emailed response, the SHA said no NICU babies or mothers have been sent out of Saskatchewan or out of Canada “due to the recent demand for care.” The SHA also said there has not been an out-of-province transfer since January 2021, nor has there been a transfer out of the country since 2008.

Rural health critic Meara Conway says her motion would require the province to publicly report on the number of babies in the neonatal unit until the issue is resolved.

“We only learned about this crisis because of a nurse who went public,” she said. “If they won’t (support the motion), I have to ask them why they ran for public office in the first place.”

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SUN says the care unit is over capacity, short-staffed and running out of ventilators.

Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said overcapacity in the unit is a result of a surge in births but the hospital is not low on ventilators, a sentiment echoed by the SHA in its statement.

While the Regina NICU has experienced a “surge in demand” over the past few weeks, the SHA said there continues to be capacity in Saskatchewan.

“There is not a shortage of NICU,” the SHA said in its statement. “Our Regina General team works with NICU teams in Saskatoon and Prince Albert daily to ensure that all newborns and children receive care appropriate to their level of acuity and complexity, no matter where their home community may be.”

Cockrill told the legislative assembly on Monday that the province has brought in extra staff to support the unit and there is capacity in other Saskatchewan hospitals.

“We’re aware of challenges and we’re working to address them,” he said.

Conway accused Cockrill of being dismissive of the issue.

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“A start would be to sit down with (nurses), listen to their voices, believe them and marshal the resources we need to address this crisis,” she said.

— With files from Alec Salloum and The Canadian Press

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