Saskatchewan NDP MLA Meara Conway says people in the province face a health-care crisis.
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Conway spoke in front of the Lloydminster Hospital on May 2 about the impact of hospital service cuts.
“We are in the midst of a health-care crisis,” said Conway.
She said the NDP used a freedom of information request to obtain data on health-care service disruptions. The numbers shocked her.
“Between August 2019 and May 2025, obstetric wards in this province have been closed over 500 days,” she said, adding emergency rooms and acute care services were closed for 4,000 days in total during that time.
In Lloydminster alone, Conway said the hospital saw 209 days of health-care disruptions during that time.
“Almost all of them were to diagnostic services,” she said, noting nine of 32 service disruptions in Lloydminster lasted more than a week.
“The longest one was 84 days to basic radiography and lab services,” said Conway of the closure from December 2021 to February 2022.
Conway said the closures are hurting people in Lloydminster and other rural communities, noting patients often arrive at hospitals to find no available services.
“We’ve heard stories of mothers giving birth on the side of the road,” she said. “Being asked to drive to the next community and not making it on time.”
She called the Sask. Party government’s record on health-care closures “chaos and chronic short staffing.”
According to Conway, it’s time to invest in health care across the province.
“Building up health care in local communities is absolutely key,” she said, adding Lloydminster needs a new hospital and more long-term care beds.
“A good-faith assessment of what is needed in the community and delivering on that need,” said Conway.
She believes people are frustrated and think the Sask. Party takes rural communities for granted.
“We have a local MLA who arguably is not delivering for her constituents here in Lloydminster,” said Conway. “The NDP will keep pushing for better services.”
Conway also said the government should look at home care to help seniors stay at home longer.
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