Saskatchewan’s nurses union is firing back at the provincial health authority over patient overcrowding in a hallway inside the province’s largest hospital.
Bryce Boynton, the president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, says the Saskatchewan Health Authority is misinforming the public about the issue at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon.
The health authority had said the seasonal flu along with other compounding factors had led to hallway overcrowding, but Boynton says it’s been a problem for years in the city’s hospitals.
He says the health authority is “gaslighting” and ignoring nurses about the issue and should instead work with them to find solutions.
Earlier this month, video footage posted to social media showed beds lining the wall of the hospital hallway with no privacy for patients, forcing the health authority to respond to concerns.
The health authority has stood by its reasons for overcrowding, saying it’s a result of seasonal flu and other issues, and that it’s working to address pressures.
