Saskatchewan preparing to take in ICU patients from Manitoba

Saskatchewan is stepping up to help a neighbour.

During a media conference Tuesday, Premier Scott Moe confirmed Saskatchewan is going to start accepting ICU patients from Manitoba. The first patient is expected to arrive in Saskatchewan on Wednesday.

“We’re fortunate at the moment with lower hospitalizations than what we have had and fortunate to have some provincial capacity to offer our neighbours and fellow Canadians in Manitoba,” Moe said.

As of Tuesday, there were 30 COVID-19 patients in intensive care units across Saskatchewan. The number of COVID-related ICU cases in the province peaked at 52 on April 23 and has been dropping ever since.

In Manitoba, meanwhile, COVID-related ICU cases stood Tuesday at 79. The province already has sent more than a dozen ICU patients to Ontario — and now Saskatchewan is offering its assistance.

Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO Scott Livingstone said his organization is planning on using its provincial ICU capacity to help out, meaning the patients from Manitoba likely won’t be sent to intensive care units in Regina or Saskatoon.

Livingstone also stressed the SHA will handle the process “in a slow and measured way.”

“The plan is to look at it on a day-by-day basis for the next five days to look at if we have the ability to support a transfer of basically a patient a day,” Livingstone said.

“We are at this point in time setting an upper limit of five until we have a greater feeling of what the capacity needs for Saskatchewan will be and the implications.”

He added the decision to shift Manitoba patients into Saskatchewan will be monitored continually to make sure it doesn’t negatively impact the health-care system in this province.

“Our ICU capacity is within the lower limit of our surge capacity, so we have been a lot higher provincially (with) both COVID and non-COVID patients,” Livingstone said. “Certainly that’s why we’re only accepting one patient today and then looking at what tomorrow brings to support our neighbours in Manitoba.

“It’s important to know that if we were in the situation Manitoba was in, we would be reaching out to our partners interprovincially for that type of support.”