The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) announced on Wednesday, June 10 they鈥檒l enter Phase 3 of their reopening plan, which included increasing surgical and imaging volumes starting June 16.
When the SHA鈥檚 Phase 3 takes place next week, surgical capacity will increase to 65-70 per cent provincially with inclusion of urgent, emergent and some elective procedures. According to the SHA, this will vary significantly by site.
A SHA media release said some locations like Yorkton Regional Health Centre are already up to 75 per cent of regular capacity as of June 10.
Medical imaging capacity will also increase in Phase 3, with a target of 90 per cent of pre-COVID-19 volumes across all services including MRI and CT scans. The SHA said current service levels in phase one for MRIs and CT scans are up to 83 per cent from approximately 50 per cent at the start of Phase 1.
SHA CEO Scott Livingstone said new required COVID-19 related precautions will be implemented around physical distancing, cohorting staff, personal protective equipment usage, and infection prevention and control.
鈥淲e know that this has made for adjustments for patients and often results in longer waits and additional steps during the care process,鈥� said Livingstone. 鈥淲e continue to express our gratitude to the public for their patience and understanding about the need to take these extra safety measures as we reopen our health care system.鈥�
Livingstone said the public should know that some of the changes made during the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in improvements that the SHA believes will carry on and help transform the Saskatchewan health care system.
One aspect Livingstone mentioned was the virtual care opportunities. He said since the start of COVID-19 in the province, 122,000 appointments have been delivered through virtual care.
鈥淭his is an enormous number in a very short period of time,鈥� said Livingstone. 鈥淚t has helped mitigate some of our situation, but also services that would have been stopped.鈥�
Health Minister Jim Reiter said during a press conference the province is continuing on with their plans for field hospitals in Regina and Saskatoon.
鈥淚t鈥檚 now nearing the point where if needed, work could be triggered quickly to make these field hospitals operational,鈥� said Reiter. 鈥淲e hope we never have to use them, these facilities will in effect be our insurance policy allowing us to effectively treat COVID-19 patients without having to again scale back surgeries and other important health services.鈥�
Reiter also said Saskatchewan residents deserve a responsive health care system for all their needs, while at the same time knowing their health system is well-prepared to manage the threat of COVID-19.
Livingstone said the SHA estimated the cost of the field hospitals could be in the range of about $8 million for both facilities.
鈥淭he philosophy we used when creating the context around field hospitals is the equipment that would be used is the same type of equipment that would be used in a normal hospital,鈥� said Livingstone.
