54 Comments

1. Marcia Fellner makes this comment

   Thursday, 08 January 2009

   Please don't forget about the forgotten group of people in our society, the Young physically disabled adults who are placed in nursing homes designed for the aged. This is not working and there truly needs to be alternative housing for these people who have high end nursing needs.. My suggestion along with my son who lives in a nursing home, is to have one or two bedroom apartments with private baths, living rooms, large bedrooms with double or queen hospital beds so they can have a normal life and be productive. This is a real issue all across Canada. Let Saskatchewan be a leader if this field. A facility that would accomodate these young people with policies and programs suitable for young adults. These people have needs that are not being met in a regular nursing home for the aged.

2. wes walters makes this comment

   Thursday, 15 January 2009

   I have aprostate problem and it's impossible to get help. The lists are endless and no one cares. The only way to get on an activelist is to get to the stage where you need a catheder and then there is still a wait and the risk of infection is very high doing that. What we have here is not health care it needs another name. I am considering going out of the province and along with that goes my vote. Politically motivated people like to attract more people to the province, but the health care system can't sustain the people we have. This situation doesn't ever get better.

3. Webmaster makes this comment

   Tuesday, 20 January 2009

   Marcia and Wes. Thanks for your comments. To make sure the Review understands your concerns in detail, please take the time to fill in a Patient Experience Workbook.

4. mary makes this comment

   Wednesday, 21 January 2009

   A couple of sad scenarios. One concerns a 92 elderly lady with no family in the city, suffering from dehydration, taking a taxi to RUH emergency, only to be hydrated and told to go back home in a cab. The lady collapsed and had private care for a week as she refused to go back to emergency. I am happy to say she is well following care by personal care workers from a private care agency.
   A 60 year old man being treated by family physician, SPH and RUH emergency, with poor results. First there should be a review of retirement age for physicians, and second emergency staff need to listen to the patients complaints. To come into emergency with a potassium of 1.? and to receive an oral dose and a bag of intravenous with K and then be sent home is unacceptable. RUH is a trauma center but all patients need to be treated equally.

5. Byron/Gina Eldstrom makes this comment

   Monday, 26 January 2009

   It has now been 7 weeks since bowel surgery and still no call as to when an oncologist can see us to determine what type of chemo and radiation will be used on my husband. We have been told it may be another month before we hear anything. Cancer remains in the lymph nodes and needs immediate treatment. The health care system is inadequate to deal with all the new cancer diagnosis. People diagnosed with cancer in October are just now being put into the system to be seen by an Oncologist in Regina. The stress this puts on a cancer victim us unimaginable. This health system has failed and getting worse. They have new ways to detect cancer and urge people to get early diagnosis, but it does not help if you CAN'T get immediate treatments. The percentage of cancer survivors would be much, much higher if only they could get treatment........Gina

6. David Chalmers makes this comment

   Sunday, 01 February 2009

   Gord Moker CEO of Safe Saskatchewan presented at a seminar I attended last year and he brought out the statistics of unintentional injuries in Canada. I was shocked to learn that unintentional injuries in Saskatchewan are twice the national average. (100% higher) That equates to over worked hospital staff over filled facilities and urgent VS Important treatment. If we could reduce these unintentional injuries by just 10% the province would dave 60 million dollars annually. Think of how many more nurses we could hire with 60 million dollars. I make my living in the Safety business and I cannot believe how many people I deal with understand injuries as a part of their job. Injuries of any occupation are unacceptable and until we all come to grips with that our INJURY PANDEMIC will continue to waste valuable resources in our health care system. Learn more on Safe Saskatchewan Website @ www.safesask.com

7. KD makes this comment

   Wednesday, 04 February 2009

   My mother was misdiagnosed with fibromas and sent home. The 'fibromas' doubled in size in two weeks. They were incompetantly surgically removed and almost immediately recurred. By this point, they finally figured out she had neurofibrosacroma but it had become metastasic in the mean time. In a last ditch effort, my grandmother sold her hme and mom was taken to Mayo Clinic in Arizona where she was finally seen and evaluated by competant physicians. It was too late and she died in agony because no one would give her appropriate opiates for pain. She was divorced and orphaned two children, one a minor and one barely 21. The younger child was so distressed he became clincally depressed to the point that he was admitted to hospital for malnutrition and, 10 years later, he is barely functional. The "health care" system is directly responsible for the agonizing death of the women and the mental incapacity of the younger child.

8. Bonny Hoffman makes this comment

   Saturday, 07 February 2009

   I recently had breast biopsy surgery. My complaint is that I work in this profession and horrified to say this happens when it shouldn't. First you have to go to City Hosp. to have a wire placed in your breast. Fine, this is to show the surgeon where the problem is so he can do his surgery. The problem I'm having is then you don't go upstairs at City Hosp. to have your surgery, you have to drive to St. Pauls Hosp. to have your surgery. All that way with a uncomfortable wire placed in your breast. Even though it is taped in place it is uncomfortable, and what if I had been in an accident? What are the concequences to the Health Board who decided this is what is to happen. I also know only half a day a month is needed at City Hosp. to do these Breast Surgery Biopsies. The reason the Breast Health Center was put at City Hosp. in the beginning was so that the biopsies could be done there as well. Well guess what, they moved all General Surgery from City Hosp. to St. Pauls Hosp. and moved all Orthopedics from St. Pauls Hosp. to City Hosp. Nothing is working well and it shows in how the Health Board continues not to think about what is best for the patient. I am grateful to the staff who did their best to make me comfortable not to the Health Board.

9. Linda Bueckert makes this comment

   Sunday, 08 February 2009

   As a new comer to this provience I have found many failures in the Sask. health care system. My daughter became extremely ill and I took her to the closest availble hospital only to be informed that they do not do PEDS there and that I need to take her to RUH. The Peds ward though going under renovations was small and dated with no chairs for a parent to sit. Only in a perfect word there would be no need to sit. The rooms were divided with curtains and sound travels freely more specific....crying Hours and hours of crying children. My child was placed into a bed that though it had clean sheets there was blood droplets on the hand rails and what appeared to be vomit on the sides. Though I understand that nurses are overworked and understaffed where was the cleaning staff....not one came through in the 18 hours I was in Peds. And people wonder Why MRSA is a growing concern. I personally have health care experience and unfortunatly spent half a life time in the emergancy with my disabled child and this experience at the RUH was dispicable. Right from no wheelchair access into RUH, no confortable sitting rooms and dirty beds. ( BY the way which I wiped down and had the cloth come out looking disgustingly grey, a nurse had the guts to tell me it's not a hotel) Free health care is not worth it if it comes at the cost of your health.

10. justin O makes this comment

    Monday, 09 February 2009

    I frequently have to take my wife into emergency to recieve a shot for pain as she gets sever headaches. Some times it may be months before these come on but they can happen a few days in a row. Her doctor has left a standing order at the hospital in Meadow Lake which she has to get these shots. On certain occasions and we had noticed when a certain nurse is working in that area the waiting room is full and there are other people with severe pain and even vomting into a pail she will make these people wait hour after hour. ie. last thursday we waited four hours and finally my wife could no longer stand the lights and noise we left and she suffered. a friend of ours was in thier too. she had gotten there before us and had been waiting an hourbefore that I found out the next day that all of the people in thier waited into the early hours of the morning and aor friend did not get out of thier until 3am. I think thier should be more personal accountability, If you complain our ask for help too many times they call it harrasment and all thier signs say this will not be tolerated. I for one am tired of being held hostage by these people. As for the rest of the nurses at this hospital, they are awsome, caring and organized.

11. J. McBain makes this comment

    Tuesday, 24 February 2009

    My concern is the emergency room and priorizing care needs.  My daughter had a HUGE blood clot that nobody found or thought to look for recently. Sent home with severe pain.Thank goodness it was found by another doctor after the pain would not subside - but my concern is whether or not the emergency doctors are made aware of their blunders in misdiagnosing what could have been potentially a life threatening situation for a 26 year old young lady.  Please learn from your mistakes! 

12. Concerned daughter makes this comment

    Tuesday, 10 March 2009

    My concern relates to the lack of therapeutic rehab services for elderly, disabled residents in nursing homes. My mother suffered a stroke a few years ago, which affected one side of her body and left her unable to walk without help. After some rehab at City Hospital, and living at home for a while, she eventually went into a nursing home in the Saskatoon Health Region. Her basic needs are looked after and the staff seem to care about her. What's frustrating is the minimal therapy she’s getting. A physio comes half a day, once a month - for the entire home. The in-house therapy services are sporadic. Staff don't have the time, apparently (or training?). My mother paid for a private physio for a few months, who came into the home bi-weekly (it was all Mom could afford), until the physio stopped doing it for some reason. As for booking an appointment at the physio clinic, we're told they’re "not really supposed to take patients like her." She’s not a priority. So, she's left with almost nothing.
    
    The message seems to be that Mom is in a nursing home until she dies, so the system can just ignore her. I believe that our elders, who raised us, sometimes at great sacrifice, deserve to have the best quality of life possible, even if they are disabled and in their final years.
    At the very least, we don't want Mom to lose the abilities she has, but after two leg fractures in her damaged leg, and almost zero therapy for months, that is probably a faint hope. I have heard about a health care concept in U.S. nursing homes called 'restorative therapy' that maximizes resident’s existing abilities. I don't know if this is practiced in Canada, but it sounds like something that would make sense in nursing homes. Our aging and disabled mothers and fathers deserve much more than they're getting.

13. Alex makes this comment

    Wednesday, 11 March 2009

    Dear Linda,
    
    I feel for you. As a mother I have had to bring my child to the ER, and have been treated in the worse possible manner. I received a phone call from my day care provider telling me my 18 month old son was on his way in an ambulance to RUH. I immediately headed to the hospital. I arrived there before the ambulance, my husband was already there too (he works there). We asked and nobody could give us any information about the possible arrival time of the ambulance. These were the longest 30 minutes of my life.
    
    While we were waiting at the ambulance entrance, a nurse approached us and told us that he didn't see the need for us to be there, since he had not received any radio notifications of an infant being transported by ambulance to RUH. I turned around and spoke to my husband in spanish as the nurse made his way back into the ER. A second later he was back into my face demanding I repeated what I had said. I responded I wasn't talking to him and he started yelling that he didn't appreciate being treated like this and that he wasn't there to take abuse from me. My husband asked him to leave us alone and to stop screaming, to what he responded by pulling my husband's ID from his shirt pocket and asking who he was and what department he worked in.
    
    At that moment the security guards who were watching the whole time came and took the nurse inside. I will never forget his name (name deleted by webmaster). Finally my child arrived and my husband went into pediatrics with him. I had to stay to do the paperwork. (Name deleted) refused to take the information directly from the paramedics. I filled out the documents and was sent to wait in line at (name deleted)'s window. There were three people ahead of me and two behind me. When my turn came, he closed the window in my face, came around the counter and took care of the people who were behind me.

14. Alex makes this comment

    Wednesday, 11 March 2009

    When he was done, came back to the window, opened it and asked with a sarcastic smile on his face "how can I help you?". I didn't feel like arguing, I wanted to be with my child. I told him I was sent there with paperwork, to what he responded "the paperwork is all with the patient, you can sit in the waiting room there", pointing at the room at the entrance.
    
    I turned around and made my way to pediatrics in search of my baby. He followed me there and asked me to leave! I had had enough by then and I told him everything that came to my mind, including that whoever hired him had no idea what they were doing because he had no clue of how to treat people, and that he should be working with animals instead. I remember hearing my voice getting louder, but it was the silence and awe of the rest of the patients and staff that were around.
    
    A nurse took him away and another one offered me a chair. She closed the curtain around my son's bed and handed me a card and asked me to complain, "please complain, you are not the first one, but hopefully the last one". Apparently this was an usual behavior on his part. I am grateful that my son got the attention he needed, but I'm hurt by the disrespectful manners of that man. I complained, but I never heard anything back from the administration. No apology, no letter, nothing.
    
    I am sharing this with you in support for your bad experience, but I want to remind you: THIS SERVICE IS NOT FREE. Not only we have been paying for years with our taxes, now, we are paying with our quality of life, our health and some with their lives.
    
    Children in this province are treated worse than any other patients. What are we doing to the future citizens of our province? (that if they don't leave for Alberta after graduation).

15. Prairiegirl makes this comment

    Thursday, 12 March 2009

    I'm very concerned about the poor quality of Child and Youth Mental Health Services; if you don't live in Regina or Saskatoon the quality and availability of mental health care for children/youth is deplorable. Lots of money is being spent but there are no results, no accountability. The Mentorship Program that I am aware needs a great deal of improvement and they need to be better educated. Children with Autism spectrum Disorders (i.e. Asperger's syndrome) are not getting the Mental Health services that they need unless they travel to Regina (or Saskatoon).

16. Edgar makes this comment

    Thursday, 12 March 2009

    At what point will the leaders in Saskatchewan healthcare realize that there should be zero tolerance for treating our patients this way. The CEO of Saskatoon should be ashamed of the way her organization is treating patients. The rha board should terminate her and the ministry of health should hold the rha responsible for the day to day operations of these organizations, as we all know they do not involve themselves with such issues. This is absolutly unacceptable for the birthplace of Medicare. The fact that this is happening to our patients should not reguire a patient review to fix, these are fundamental issues of poor and lazy management at the top of the organization. The CEO should resign or better yet, be fired. There is no excuse for even one situation of poor treatment. It is well within the authority and capability of an effective CEO to prevent this. The problem seems to be that the CEOs who run our rhas are incompetent and without a doubt overpaid for their minimal results and disturbing leadership qualities. If anyone in the health industry truly cared about the patient, the CEO would have been fired a long time ago. I am not sure we can rely on the board to do their job.

17. Collin makes this comment

    Saturday, 21 March 2009

    I might be helpful if government payments were based on promptness of service. If health organization makes one wait for six months for an operation they should get paid less than if patient is given service in a more reasonable time like a week. The extra money would allow more staffing, better resources, and create some management pressure to get patients through. The way it is, no rush for management, they cut costs by minimally staffing, and they don't sweat it at all if they shut down an operating room, or turn off a doctor so he leaves.
    - Let government pay a reasonable premium (maybe 20% more) for a response patient treatment and outcome, drop this to a minimal amount for so-so treatment timeframe and outcome, and then if the patient wait goes over set service levels, then that patient is opened up to the first hospital that can take them on ( Original planned hospital should be ineligible) This payment would start a double premium and rise at 10% more per day until some hospital somewhere takes on the patient. I think with this kind of incentive all those hospital administrators and mangers would be suddenly talking to their staff -- asking what can we do improve capacity.

18. prairiegirl makes this comment

    Tuesday, 31 March 2009

    The Action Plan for Autism is a step in the right direction but implementation is SO slow. The Health Region is just in the process of hiring an ASD consultant and I am not at all impressed with the qualifications the Health Region is requiring of applicants for this job. I can't imagine that an O.T. or a P.T. with a master's degree with 2 yrs. experience is going to be able to carry out all the functions required to carry out this job of consultant for an entire Health Region. I would like to see a clinical psychologist with at least 5 yrs. experience being hired for this job. The lack of knowledgeable and qualified people in the field of autism spectrum disorders is a huge problem in Saskatchewan, especially outside of Regina and Saskatoon.

19. Betty makes this comment

    Sunday, 12 April 2009

    My mom was taken to City Hospital ER aftering having fallen in her apartment. Family, living out of town, were not aware until a few hours before 9pm that the ER closes then.
    With no time to get to Saskatoon to take care of our 92 year old mother, we scrambled to find someone to pick her up. Mom had only pajamas on. The ambulance staff did not take her keys, a coat, boots or anything and she was to be released from the hospital or else be sent to St. Paul's ER to lay on a gourney there until a family member arrived later that night. Family friends were able to collect her at 9pm. They took a blanket. Mom left the hospital with a blanker on and hospital slippers. We were horrified that a woman of that age would be treated that way.
    We later believed mom had a mini stroke that day which was just the beginning of a short battle with cancer, a subsequent stroke, a wait to get into St. Paul's palliative care. St. Paul's Palliative Care, on a much better note, is wonderful. Mom died in February and the Palliative care centre has followed up with family to see how we are doing.

20. gerald makes this comment

    Friday, 17 April 2009

    Saskatchewan health care is pathetic to say the least. my mom went to the hospital for serious back pain starting in December. the doctors decided to check for multiple myeloma. from December till April 17 she has had 15 blood tests, 4 different specialists each did a bone marrow biopsy (4 biopsy), and STILL DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. the doctor told her that she is loosing blood, but she is not building blood either. In the hospital with a fever of 103, blood pressure 177 over 122, pulse 113, they will not give her anything to bring the fever or the blood pressure down. she is having severe nerve pains running up and down her body and the doctors are doing nothing about it. How long does a person have to wait until action is taken? our good friend died of the exact same problem because the doctor waited too long

21. Janie makes this comment

    Thursday, 23 April 2009

    Prairiegirl makes this comment
    Thursday, 12 March 2009
    
    I understand your concern and I empathize! I don't know if this will help or hinder, but the fact is even Saskatoon and Regina Youth Mental Health has limited knowledge and professionalism. One parent was so disgusted with the inappropriate care and verbal abuse towards his child, he made this comment as they were leaving, "I think every Government Dept., Healthcare Workers and Social Workers take the same "Business Course" - 'How to Abuse and Rip-off the Public', because they all use threats to force people into submission and completely strip them of happiness or self-worth and make a point of destroying any quality of family life they have created! These children are NOT helped here, they are used as Lab Rats and suffer more harm than if we could find a way to keep them away from these MONSTERS!"
    This has also been my experience, stay away from so-called Mental Health Professionals and Social Workers, they have been taught to MANIPULATE & LIE to cover other social and health workers reputations, even their own.

22. td makes this comment

    Monday, 27 April 2009

    My son was hospitalized last week when he came down with a serious infection. When we arrived at the triage desk at RUH we stood in front of the Nurse - (name deleted by webmaster) - for 10 minutes before she even acknowledged our presence. I realize she was busy taking calls from EMS and doing paperwork, but it would have been nice for her to LOOK at us and tell us that she would be with us in a few minutes. When she did finally speak to us she was extremely rude. Thankfully that was our only negative experience. The rest of the ER staff - nurses, physicians, porters were extremely caring and helpful. The nurses on 3000 are true angels. It takes an EXCEPTIONAL person to work with sick children and they truly are!!!

23. Marlene makes this comment

    Wednesday, 29 April 2009

    A parent's worst fear...my 26 year old son is suspected of having cancer. The lymph nodes around the heart. It has been over 2 weeks to even be scheduled for a biopsy. I checked with the specialists nurse and apparently his file has been misplaced, the appointment was not made. The stress on our family is great and I pray this is not a taste of what is yet to come. By reading some of the comments I think so.

24. prairiegirl makes this comment

    Saturday, 02 May 2009

    Regarding my comment of March 31, 2009 above regarding the hiring of an Autism Spectrum Disorder consultant at one of the southern Health Regions in the province, that position has now been filled. I am extremely disappointed in the person they hired because first and foremost she is not knowledgeable about autism or Asperger's Syndrome (a very common form of autism). She simply IS NOT qualified for this job! If she couldn't provide quality services to kids with autism/Aspergers in her old job how can she now be qualified to be an ASD Consultant.
    
    Did she get the job because she already was an employee at that Health Region. SURELY, there were more qualified applicants to choose from. Sounds like cronism.
    
    This is the second time within the last month that someone from within was choosen over applicants from outside. This is cronism and it certainly isn't in the best interest of patients/clients throughout the Health Region.

25. Maureen Ffoulkes-Jones makes this comment

    Monday, 04 May 2009

    Please look at how the lab gets funded. Medical Laboratory Tests contribute to the diagnosis and therapy of 60-80% of patients. Funding happens after we are so busy, stressed and have negatively impacted patient care (also increased medico-legal risk). When a health care program expands, changes or is added we need to have the funding start immediately rather than after our staff are put into overload. Lab staff continue to do what ever is necessary to get the job done...it is on their backs that this excellent service occurs...soon we will experience a mass exodus of older techs to retirement...we need these poeple to continue as they are the best multi-taskers. It has been said by some of the lab regulatory bodies that when our older techs retire the system will need to hire 2-3 to do the job. The funding model needs to take these aspects into consideration.

26. R.P. makes this comment

    Tuesday, 05 May 2009

    I was a patient Sept. `07 at RUH.After what was scheduled day surgery I had complications and ended up in ICU for four days.Not knowing why I was there & what happened in surgery was very frightening.I know that nurses can`t tell you that info.but can`t the surgeon or family doctor tell the patient before 4 days of listening to paralyzed patients?I also realize there are a shortage of nurses & beds but that doesn`t mean that you should transfer a patient to a ward at 11 p.m..While being transferred my bed broke.The head of the bed would not raise & I had throat surgery so it was important that I had my bed raised to breathe.There were no beds or staff available at the time.I think managers of these depts. should call or reply by mail when told of these issues.I work in health care & now know first hand of publics concerns.Things have to change.

27. John makes this comment

    Tuesday, 05 May 2009

    I thave very bad experience with SK health care system. My wife had a baby delevered in hospital by c section. The opration was not planned. they had to call the surgeon home to be there, it was weekend- they treated her with bad communication/ no empathy...
    
    I live in saskatoon, I know at least one doctor that was trained overseas, he has all exams but licensing bodies tell him his training is not recognised in Sk.
    
    I do not get..
    
    our health care system is broken
    if they need doctors they should train and hire them.
    
    John

28. Marlene makes this comment

    Wednesday, 06 May 2009

    An update on the health care system regarding processing and scheduling. Once the glitch was addressed the appointment was made in 3 days for the biopsy. It is a go in 3 weeks. We are both pleased and somewhat relieved.
    Remember the squeeky wheel.

29. Bonnie makes this comment

    Thursday, 07 May 2009

    I am totally disgusted with Saskatchewan's Health Care System. The system is great only if you live in Regina or Saskatoon. I have a terminal illness but due to the fact that I live in rural Saskatchewan, the specialist that I saw will not even consider me for any kind of rehabilitory program. Real nice! Last time I looked, I paid just as much tax as people in the urban centers do and I think I should expect the same quality and level of health care services.

30. Brenda makes this comment

    Friday, 08 May 2009

    Spent about an hour inputing in the workbook on line only to have my entries lost because I "timed out" too long.
    
    Fix the system.

31. Grace makes this comment

    Sunday, 10 May 2009

    My Dad is in hospital now and has received excellent care. He came in through the ER, he was having trouble breathing and we have since learned his heart valve is not functioning properly. Doing an angiogram of the heart and other exsisting health problems, my Dad is 87, they determined he is not a canidate for surgery and will be treated medically. He also has had treatment for bladder tumors in the past 2 years, with excellent and timely care. If the care and treatment is needed urgently and in life threatening situations, I believe we are not failing in our health care delivery to the people of this province.

32. margaret makes this comment

    Monday, 11 May 2009

    I have been in pain with a foot condition for 5 years. Every step is an effort. I have been involved with the health system for 5 years with no real result.
    
    To be fair, out of the many health professionals I have seen, I had 2 awesome family doctors and one wonderful pain specialist but their hands are tied once they refer. My best family doctor left for BC because she could not stand the stress of being unable to help her patients.She left my last appointment with her before she moved in tears as she had not succeeded in getting help for me and she knew how much I suffer.I have been referred for several assessments and have waited months and years to get in.
    
    I am ready to listen to my friends and family who are urging me to go to the press with my story as my condition has completely taken any any quality of life I had. The chores of just everyday living become an insurmountable obstacle but, aside from my present family doctor, no one seems to care.I get the feeling the health system would be happy to see all their patients disappear and then they could go to meetings all day, collect what in some instances are obscene salaries and not be bothered by sick people.
    
    I have had much better care in the alternate medical system where practicioners seem to have the strange idea that they should help people get well.I also don't have to wait long to get in.However, all they can do for me is somewhat ease the discomfort and it gets very expensive.I am at my wit5's end and do not know where to turn any longer.

33. Kathleen makes this comment

    Tuesday, 12 May 2009

    At age 47, I had sudden patchy hair loss. When I went to have it checked, the Dr. would not look at my scalp and simply said it was caused by old age. I informed him that I needed my hair thinned just four months earlier.
    My scalp red and pussy. There is no family history of hair loss. All of these things should have alerted the Dr. to investigate. Still, he refused. Unfortunately, I now have permanent bold spots because of scaring that was cause by "old age".
    My suggestion: treat old people like everyone else by investigating health problems and treating if neccessary

34. John Smith makes this comment

    Thursday, 14 May 2009

    I cannot save typed in data when I try to fill out the online form. I keep getting a "will not save typed in data" message. This makes online feedback a nonsense exercise and highlights again the incompetencies prevalent through out this health system

35. Lynn makes this comment

    Monday, 01 June 2009

    My 90 year old father is no longer able to live on his own. Macular Degeneration has rendered him almost blind, he can't hear (and a new hearing aide will not fix the problem) and he is extremely weak. He was admitted to hospital on April 12th and on the 21st of April he was approved for a long term care bed. Herein lies the problem.
    
    Dad does not have a large pension and cannot afford a personal care home, so the only option available to him is a long term care home. He's been in hospital now for seven weeks while he waits for a bed; we were warned that he could easily wait in excess of two months as there are many people ahead of him on the waiting list. He picked up MRSA when in hospital a few years ago for a hip replacement and once you have tested positive for MRSA - the health care system assumes you are 'active', whether you are or not. Accordingly, he is not allowed OUT of his room, unless he is gowned, gloved and masked. He cannot have staff or visitors IN his room, unless they are gloved, gowned and masked. His quality of life is non existent. He cannot see to read or watch TV and other than me, he has no visitors. It is a very lonely, lonely life.
    
    My suggestion is this - we have subsidized daycare spots for children. Why can't we have subsidized personal care home beds for elderly people? Dad wouldn't have to be sitting in hospital waiting for a placement if the government subsidized spots in private care homes. And it would certainly cost the government less to subsidize him (approximately) $1,000 per month to live in a personal care home versus keeping him in hospital for two+ months until he can get placed in a long-term care home.
    
    With our aging population and the influx of the 'baby boomers' into the system, this problem is only going to get worse. We have no place to put the elderly now - what will we do with all of the 'baby boomers' when the time comes that they can no longer live on their own?

36. U makes this comment

    Monday, 08 June 2009

    I have encountered this attitude at the RUH, in Saskatoon, on more than one occassion. The standard statement of "We are teaching hospital, (we do not have room for Level 4 care patients)". Is sad, disappointing, and painful. Level 4 care patients are still "people" until their heart stops beating, and they leave this world as we know it. The attitude in this "teaching facility" is one of superiority, authority, and one that lacks compassion. I am disappointed that this attitude continues. I don't believe the Human Rights Commission of Saskatchewan would allow this behaviour in any other workplace, why do we allow it here?

37. K Ger makes this comment

    Wednesday, 10 June 2009

    I am 44 and the first time I really needed extended health care (knee surgery) was last year. I was very disappointed with the redundancy of testing due to the long wait in between appointments deeming the first tests useless. It also meant additional clerical/nurse/doctor time for re-evaluation. I could not help but think of the waste of well paid health-care worker time, the costly testing processes, my time (which was time away from my workplace and, if this process had been done in timely manner, how much money and time could have been used for another patient.

38. J. Apperley makes this comment

    Wednesday, 10 June 2009

    Yet again another good surgeon leaves Saskatchewan. The impact....all those people that were waiting for Dr. (name deleted by webmaster) to perform surgery will have to find another surgeon and continue to play the waiting game.
    
    Can't really blame the doctor for leaving. When he is only given 4 hours of surgery time per week, what's the point of staying here. He is a surgeon after all, his job isn't to sit inside his office all day hanging out with the people waiting to have surgery, it is to be in the OR performing surgery.
    
    Of course the same old excuse is given, had to close 2 OR theatres because...yes, not enough nurses. Not enough nurses..hmmm, how can that be??
    
    Isn't the government proudly telling the people of Saskatchewan they have been recruiting nurses?? Sure they have but those nurse can't work in surgery, they work in the general wards because they are not qualified to work anywhere else. So I'm not sure how the recruitment of these nurses is helping the surgical wait list times but the government sure seems to think it will help.
    
    In the end, another good surgeon leaves and the people continue to wait.

39. Susan makes this comment

    Thursday, 11 June 2009

    My father at 90 years was taken to Regina General in November, 2007 with pneumonia. Once he was dead, a week or so later, they figured out that he needed his esophagas dilated (apparently quite common with phlarnex cancer survivors)... Had they read his chart a week earlier, he could have continued with independent living. By the time they figured it out - it was way too late. There were a lot of staff hanging around a desk filling out charts - but perhaps while they were there - a little reading would have helped. I think that he would be living today if they would have read in time - but I do believe that they see an old person and prejudge their condition.

40. ENOUGH TO MAKE US SICK makes this comment

    Monday, 15 June 2009

    " /> Here is a perfect example of overkill when it comes to the incompetence & lack of accountability of Health Practitioners - who like to pass the buck - from one Dr. to another, because
    
    1 they are either not experienced enough in health care
    2 have become disinterested in health care
    3 are only interested in the financial gain & high profile
    4 to attain recognition through peers by not following preliminary tests to rule out possible causes, only automatically send the patient from One physician to another, one Specialist to another, without even informing the patient of the reasons!
    
    http://books.google.ca/books?id=uX4ZwtDKNqMC&pg=PA24&lpg=PA24&dq=adult+psychiatry+examination&source=bl&ots=U0aIs-fx9c&sig=1A1C0y1YUtwAajf3dWbh40FIXuI&hl=en&ei=42w2Sr2RC4ffmQeVhOntDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3#PPT1,M1
    
    (EVERY PERSON, INCLUDING THE PSYCHIATRISTS, SOCIAL WORKERS, ETC., FALL INTO THE BOX OF MENTALLY ILL BY THESE DESCRIPTIONS!)
    
    http://www2.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/story.html?id=d6cb57d2-2ddb-4d43-bda1-61182ed877b2
    DOCTOR SHOPPING???EVERYONE THESE DAYS IS CAUGHT IN WHAT APPEARS TO BE DOCTOR SHOPPING! IT'S DUE TO THE INCOMPETENCE OF MEDICAL DOCTORS WHO CAN'T OR WON'T TAKE THE TIME TO DO A PROPER EXAMINATION - LET ALONE AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS OR TREATMENT PLAN!
    
    Yet the patient resigns to the fact that they must follow the protocol & goes to these Appts. only to find that the next physician, usually of a Specialized field, is asking why the patient came to them! The patient replies because I got a letter to come here, I thought you would know!
    
    These patients are sent on a wild goose chase by the physicians! All of them expecting the patient to explain why they were sent to them - when the family physician or previous Specialists had not even mentioned the referral, but they receive the appt card or letter in the mail & SIMPLY ASSUME THAT THE DOCTORS SHOULD KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING! [b]W - R - O - N - G!!!!!
    
    DOCTORS DO NOT WANT TO MAKE A DIAGNOSIS, FOR FEAR OF REPERCUSSION WHEN THEY ARE FOUND TO BE WRONG! IT'S CALLED C.Y.A.!
    
    (to be continued on next post)

41. Patient's Sick of HealthCare makes this comment

    Monday, 15 June 2009

    (cont’d)
    WE CITIZENS ARE BEING SCAMMED BY THE RED TAPE & HEALTH CARE PROVISIONS, RIGHT ALONG WITH THE HEALTH PRACTITIONERS WHO ARE TOO RUSHED, TOO UNINTERESTED & TOO MONEY HUNGRY TO ENSURE REPEAT VISITS, TO EVER GET A BASIC, OFTEN COMMON SIMPLE, DIAGNOSIS, LET ALONE A SIMPLE, TEXT BOOK, BASIC TREATMENT PLAN, LIKE WE DID PRIOR TO THE THREATS OF STRIKING PHYSICIANS,BECAUSE THEY OPPOSE MEDICARE, headed by Dr. Jim Melenchuk (Liberal Leader slithered to NDP for majority).
    
    MANY PEOPLE WOULD BE BETTER OFF WITHOUT THESE INCOMPETENT UNPROFESSIONALS PLACING UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS ON THEIR PATIENTS, PARTICULARLY WHEN THE 'PROFESSIONALS' CAN'T EVEN OFFER AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS OR TREATMENT PLAN! THEY AREN'T EVEN CAPABLE OR INTERESTED IN TRULY CURING SIMPLE ILLNESSES & LEFT UNTREATED, BECOME WORSE & WORSE, UNTIL THE PATIENT ENDS UP WITH LONG-TERM, COMPLICATED & SEVERE ILNESS, WHICH CAN NO LONGER BE CURED WITHOUT EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF GOVERNMENT FUNDS & DEMANDS OF HIRING MORE INCOMPETENT DOCTORS, WHO ARE THE ONES REAPING THE REWARDS OF THOSE EXCESSIVE FUNDS!
    
    THE DOCTORS ARE FIRST-HANDEDLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MESS OUR MEDICAL SYSTEM IS IN!THEIR GREED & COMPLACENCY IN THEIR OWN PERFORMANCE, THEIR INACCURATE OR NON-DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENT PLANS, COSTS TAX-PAYERS & GOVERNMENTS FAR MORE THAN IT SHOULD! DOCTORS NEED TO STOP OVER-BOOKING PATIENTS, REDUCE PATIENT LOADS, REDUCE TEE-OFF TIMES AT THE GOLF COURSE AND VACATIONS FROM DRUG COMPANIES, AND ACTUALLY WORK (5) FIVE DAYS A WEEK, INSTEAD OF 2 ONE-HALF MORNINGS A WEEK TO SEE YOUR PATIENTS & DO PRELIMINARY TESTING TO RULE OUT THE OBVIOUS BEFORE SENDING PATIENTS TO SPECIALISTS, WHO ASSUME PRELIMINARY TESTS HAVE BEEN ALREADY BEEN DONE & THEN HAVE THAT PATIENT SENT ON A WHIRLWIND OF REFERRALS TO OTHER SPECIALISTS, ALL OF WHO ARE LOOKING FOR A COMPLEX AND WRONG PROBLEM, IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES - ALL OF THOSE TESTS WILL PROVE TO BE 'NON-SPECIFIC' IN NATURE!
    
    When the problem persists, when you can finally get in to see your family Doctor, often 3 weeks or more down the line, your family physician is uncertain why the pain/illness either recurs or persists – AND TELLS YOU TO GO TO THE EMERGENCY DEPT. WHEN IT HAPPENS AGAIN – BECAUSE THEY ARE EQUIPPED THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT AND MANPOWER TO DIAGNOSE PATIENTS PROPERLY!
    
    THEN WHEN YOU FINALLYFIND AN EXPERIENCED, COMPETENT & KNOWLEDGEABLE GENERAL PRACTITIONER, he is not taking anymore patients or is simply a walk-in clinic Dr. so he can't be your family physician!

42. UNNECESSARY REFERRALS ARE COMMON makes this comment

    Monday, 15 June 2009

    Doctors, Lab Techs, "community Workers" Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Social Workers and "Integrated" Health Teams for patients, who employ all of the above are the largest reason who could have been cured of simplistic and common health ailments, but are quickly passed off by the attending physicians, to create and expensive, unnecessary round of life changing, devestating run around by the medical profession.
    
    In case you didn't know, IF YOU NEVER NEEDED MENTAL HEALTH CARE BEFORE - YOU MOST CERTAINLY WILL FIND YOURSELF THERE BEFORE LONG - AS SOON AS YOU HAVE A FIRST APPOINTMENT ANY HEALTH CARE PHYSICIAN, because they will have you running to ANY and ALL Specialists, Technicians, Social Workers and "Integrated" Health Teams until you find yourself financially dependant on the Social System and every other possible sector of the Government; because family and friends will be overwhelmed by the excess of appointments and redderick that has taken over your life your own being; your own choices, your own free-will - causing them to remove themselves from your support network, because they can't deal with it either!
    
    So, now after years of thisabuse, these agencies know you must cooperate; or they can place even more repercussions on you. Often they wait for years of non-diagnosis, non-treatment, to put you in a more vulnerable position, knowing any support persons will fall by the wayside and then they attack you with all barrels.
    
    This is clearly abuse of the system, abuse of your Human Rights and borders on legal ramifications of stalking and bullying - when you are already most vulnerable!

43. Alice makes this comment

    Thursday, 18 June 2009

    So, you're asking people to comment generally on solutions to our Health Care problems without them having the benefit of access to budgets, procedures, protocol, etc. I can voice my opinion here, but I'm afraid it would be just another opportunity for the government to say they've asked citizens for solutions and then blame them when they don't have any. It's up to YOU to find solutions, all we can do is voice our concerns.
    
    Here are mine:
    
    Loooong waiting lists to see specialists.
    Looooong waiting lists for surgery.
    Not enough family doctors.
    Poor communication between the health care system and patients.
    
    While we're waiting to see doctors, or for a surgical procedure which would repair whatever problem ails us, our health deteriotes due to wear and tear and due to the use of prescription drugs to control symptoms. We need to have a more preventative and holisitc approach to health care. We don't concentrate enough on keeping people healthy and we waste alot of money treating people when they become ill when no preventative measures have been taken.

44. Diane makes this comment

    Sunday, 21 June 2009

    I was on the wait list for a laprascopic hysterectomy. Unfortunatley, I had to go to the ER at (hospital name deleted by webmaster). I waited in ER for 2 days, one day in the overflow ER, then finally to the ward. All of this time, there was no doctor caring for me. The incompetent ob/gyn on call did not notify my doctor to let him know I was there. I was bleeding profusly and getting blood at the same time!! It was a nightmare. This health care system is a mess.

45. dont trust conservs makes this comment

    Friday, 10 July 2009

    I have concerns how this review is conducted.
    We're paying how much money for the conserv's to conduct research to validate their political views/goals. No matter what the outcome is going to be, they will continue to privatize our health care. The people who really need health care will not be able to afford it (they can't already) and only the wealthy will get the best care.
    
    The conservatives want to dissolve our health regions the way Alberta did and look at the mess they're in. It has made their health care system WORSE. It cost billions to dissolve their health regions and made their health care worse.
    
    We dont need more money in our system to fix it. We need Dr's and nurses held accountable for their practises. The unnecessary hopping from one doctor to doctor to doctor for a diagnosis wastes time and money. We need nurses and docs and health care professionals to work as a team. Work together to find the problem, identify treatment and move on.
    
    Causing patients to wait months and months and sometimes years for a diagnosis causes the system more money! By the time a serious diagnosis develops the health care system is stuck with paying for long term care and services as a result of their own negligence - patients are made to feel its their fault!
    
    Germany and Sweden have fully funded health care, their taxes pay for it but their system works. It is proven the American system has higher deaths, misdiagnosises, more medical errors, we dont need a private system! We need a publically funded health care system that is accountable to canadians. Patients here do not have any one to make doctors and nurses accountable. We dont have the power to make our own government accountable for their behaviour.
    
    After a year telling GP of pain, it was minimized. When I went in with severe pain I spent another 8 months being sent for tests (ultrasound results lost twice), MRI, to see a variety of different doctors. FINALLY when I couldnt walk they discovered the results indicated GROWTHS in abdomen! 6 months later had surgery. Dr would only see me once after surgery for follow up. Called because lymphnodes still swollen, I was told I needed another referral (more $$ directly into the surgeons pocket), didnt see the surgeon, I saw his student who dismissed the swollen lymphnodes, the same way my GP has for the last 1.5 year. Recently been back to doctor and playing the game of multiple tests, doctors and unnecessary appointments if you would just do things right the first time!
    
    The health care system is its worst enemy, you cause the waitlists, unhealthy populations, unnecessary spending by making patients wait for inadequate services. How can the gov make changes when they are part of the problem?

46. tdb makes this comment

    Monday, 13 July 2009

    So what is the province planning to do with all of this information??? Are things EVER going to change????

47. Lynn makes this comment

    Tuesday, 14 July 2009

    " /> My father will be 92 in August. He has lived in his own home until a fall in April of this year and had to be placed in a nursing home which is attached to our hospital.
    
    He was recovering well until he fell agian at 3am June 27, 2009. That day he was xrayed and the xray sent to North Battleford to be read. My father laid in the bed in the nursing home from the 27th of June until July 4th before he was sent to Saskatoon to have his hip operated on. Then he sat in Saskatoon until July 9th before they operated.
    
    I would like to know why he laid in the nursing home for one week with a broken hip and then waited another 5 days for the operation.
    There are heavey fines and jail sentences for treating our animals like this but not our elderly people.
    
    I have been phoning to find out why this happens without consequence to anyone and I have no idea who is reponsible. Nobody.
    
    And this is what is wrong with our healthcare system today. We have excess management and now accountability.
    
    Lynn

48. monica makes this comment

    Saturday, 18 July 2009

    My daughter in law hurt her back 9 years ago now.. She went to see a prominent back doctor in regina and he said that it was all in her head. From then on things went streight to hell . She was treated worse then a dog would have been treated, as soon as they seen her charts with in her head they didn't care at all. She was left in emergency rooms for hrs and hrs and then sent from the general by this same physician to the pasqua and the neurologest he sent her to had been gone for a week already, and what the nurses told us this doc at the general was informed he was gone, my daughter in law had eplipsy also and she was 7 hrs in the pasqua and the 9 hrs at the general without any medications.There is so much i could say .. at one time she was again in the general and her intervenis had came out and her bed was all wet .. the nurse accused her of peeing herself and being a pig, when my daugher in law asked her why she didn't like her she plain told her this was her job and she didn't have to like her .. needless to say she was reported.. With all the indiginities she put up with eventurally she did end up with haveing psudo seizures.. which are real for her and she can't control them but they are not eplipsy, there were times she was on life support for a week because she would seizure steady, she ended up in a wheel chair for a year or more because her legs paralized, and again they told her it was all in her head, she had been taken to regina saskatoon even the doctors again said it was in her head, another prominent doc in Regina put an implant in her back for pain when it al started and it controlled the pain for a while but when she became tolerent of it he wanted to put a larger one in and it paralized her stomach he refused to take it out and said it wasn't his device, when her family physican tried to get a hold of him he refused many many times to return his calls , she ended up another doc in saskatoon had to take it out,, This is just the tip of the iceburg that has happened to her, She eventurally found a doc in saskatoon that cared enough and explained things to her and did find out what was wrong with her back but by then the damage was done.. but she did get to walk again through physo but her nerves couldn't be repared so when she walked she dragged her feet used canes and cruthes and through sheer determination, got to walk on her own .. she had a good year .. at least .. she died Jan 27/09 left behind her husband and 2 young kids.. all because of a system that didn't care about her because one doc branded her with it all being in her head.

49. Ken makes this comment

    Sunday, 26 July 2009

    We have used the Saskatoon medical facilities for 3 generations and 40 years.
    
    This is only the negative side. We have seen the the very best from the medical people and the most hate full. We have seen the arragance of doctors and nursing staff towards each other and patients that has cost thousands of dollars and tolal loss of quality of life is some cases. We have seen gross incompentenance rewarded with a upward promotion. These actions are those that get real people fired for private ouccupations but as was heard fron a caretaker in the hospital, parapharzed mind you (they pay me no matter what I do and they can't fire me anways.)
    
    The medical system (hospitals) have allowed staff to set their own working conditions regardless of what the public requires for compentent services.
    
    I'm becoming more angry as I think and try to express my self about our situation so I will end off. WITH THIS I can only suggest a few ideas,
    1. reduce paper work,(any newly opened doctors office can help the big hospitals with that.
    2. bring in non government oriented people to run the hospital buildings.
    3. Use the deparment head concept in charge of individual specialties.
    4. If a staff action negativly impact a patient write them up.(3 step process)
    5. Have all department heads work togeather for budget preperation.
    6. Hire book keepers not accountants.
    7. I know it is difficult to accept but big is not better.
    8. Evaluate your employees if your going to pay top wages demand top performance.
    9. Make people accountable again.
    
    Above all please fix the system befor another life is wasted by stupidity.

50. LARISA WHEELER makes this comment

    Monday, 27 July 2009

    My father is in the (name deleted by webmaster) hospital, having had a heart attack a few days ago. He is of perfectly sound mind, but shuffles when he walks.
    
    Without permission, he was tied into a chair, the nurse left and did not return for some time. My father yelled for help as he had to go to the washroom, and nobody came.
    
    In Ontario this is illegal - you must have the patient or family permission to tie the patient. Where is the respect? This is called abuse, and the hospital should be held accountable.

51. mz a makes this comment

    Thursday, 27 August 2009

    where are all the satisfied patients? i cannot be the only one who had an excellent doctor and and great nurses at the vic hospital.
    
    please dont judge all by the few horror stories because there are a lot of dedicated, proffessional doctors out there saving lives who deserve to be recognized and many great nurses caring for patients

52. Roland makes this comment

    Thursday, 08 October 2009

    Have you peoples heared the story of baby Mason in Saskatoon? He was denied quality health care even though his parent knew something seriously was wrong.If you peoples think Saskatchewan is giving the best health care possible, take a better look. I feel that they were treated like second class citizens just because the live in a poor region of the city.

53. Ken makes this comment

    Tuesday, 20 October 2009

    The same very lazy nurse has changed hospitals god help us again ,please. We have hope in the presence of a nurse or two from the islands.
    Will this never end,
    
    Why would any one give money to a hospital to build some thing new when the powers to be can not run what they have to look after now?
    By the way has this commission talked to any real users of the hospital system?

54. Donella makes this comment

    Wednesday, 16 December 2009

    I could not believe the time that I had to wait at the General Hospital Emergency department on Monday.
    
    I was transfered over on Monday afternoon from the Pasqua Hospital to see a (specialist) (identifying detail deleted by webmaster).
    
    I was told that they knew I was coming and that this doctor would see me asap and that I had standing orders for pain medication and so they would not give me any pain medication before I left.
    
    When I arrived at the General I had to reregister and then wait for my turn to be called. (1 1/2 hours later ) I was going out of my mind by now with pain from a kidney stone. I was then put on a chair in another room for about an hour then finally a bed in a corner of the er room way in the back.
    
    Finally I got some pain medication. The doctor now came and saw me about 8pm. Around midnight I was sent to another stretcher with 3 other people for the night in a corner of the er.
    
    Next morning we were moved to chairs in a patient holding area. Now being in a lot of pain and now very uncomfortable I sat in this chair until about 9 pm when I was finally taken to surgery.
    
    All this time they were waiting for a bed on another ward. Even dogs at the humane society are treated better than we were. I am debating whether or not to return there to get my stent removed. I may just go to my family doctor. All in all a horrifying experience." />