Meili says wait times for elective surgeries unacceptable

For the thousands of people needing elective surgeries in Saskatchewan, the wait for a hip or knee replacement in our province’s healthcare system can be frustrating.

That was the message from NDP leader Ryan Meili Friday afternoon, as he joined Sue Delanoy, a Saskatchewan woman who has already been waiting two years for a double hip replacement, and says she’s been told it could be upwards of another 18 months before she gets surgery.

“I know that the system was a bit broken before we got to the COVID thing,” said Delanoy. “With everything that’s happened, I’m so disappointed that surgeries haven’t taken off right now on the elective side of things. It’s not even elective for me anymore. I can’t walk.”

She says she is frustrated, and so are the healthcare workers around her.

“I know my surgeon is frustrated too because he can’t operate on the people who need it,” said Delanoy.

Meili blames the government for not properly planning for the pandemic, and not dealing with these long waitlists before it hit.

“Now we’ve got this big backlog and the government that came in with the same budget as before the pandemic that did nothing more to deal with this now huge backlog of cases that need to be addressed,” said Meili. “This has left people in pain, it’s leaving people with uncertainty and confusion about what’s actually happening.”

Delanoy agrees that this situation speaks to a bigger picture when it comes to healthcare.

“I describe myself as the big pothole of the healthcare system,” said Delanoy. “We know what happens in Saskatchewan when we get a pothole that’s not taken care of. It grows bigger and bigger and requires more resources and that’s exactly where I’m at.”

Meili is calling on the government to address this problem.

“Make the investments now to deal with the growing waitlists that have been caused by the pandemic, that were already too long before the pandemic.”