The Saskatchewan Health Authority has announced it will be expanding capacity to meet the increasing demand for services due to COVID-19 in the province.
A slow down of non-essential services in order to increase the availability of beds and supplies is already underway, as is a labour pool reallocation.
Additionally, the SHA plans to create dedicated spaces within hospitals for COVID-19 patients, as well as COVID-19 hospitals in Saskatoon and Regina. The health region will also be creating field hospitals in available community spaces where needed.
Experts in other jurisdictions are estimating that COVID-19 could affect up to 30 per cent of the population in Saskatchewan, and the SHA is concerned that the current system will be overwhelmed.
“Based on what we know from other jurisdictions, it is critical we act immediately to expand acute care capacity to mitigate the impact of COVID-19,” SHA CEO Scott Livingstone said in a press release.
An Emergency Operations Centre has also been established, and so have four Integrated Health Command Centres — one in Saskatoon, one in Regina, and one each for rural areas and for northern Saskatchewan.
These four centres will be responsible for deploying services on a local level in the coming months.
The SHA is also asking the public to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by washing their hand regularly and practicing social distancing, as well as abiding by all travel and gathering restrictions from the provincial and federal government.
Residents are also asked to use medical supplies effectively to help mitigate shortages, and avoid visiting hospitals or health care facilities unless completely necessary.
“This plan will ensure we are prepared,” Livingstone said. “But it won’t be enough; it has been proven over and over with this virus that no health system in the world can address this challenge alone without the sustained help of the general public.”
