Some health services resume as Sask Health cautiously moves forward
Phase One of Re-Open Saskatchewan plan includes select every day services
The Saskatchewan Health Authority has taken their first steps as part of the plan to relax restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic – but at the same time is warning that any further moves in a positive direction will only come when it’s verifiably safe to do so. Tuesday marked the continuation of Phase One in the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan, and with that came resumption of a handful of medical services that had been shuttered for nearly 10 weeks. Among those are outpatient physiotherapy appointments, kidney health services, some laboratory services, home care and expanded immunizations, with some services resuming immediately and some being phased in on a gradual basis. SHA CEO Scott Livingstone said in a press release, “Teams have and will continue to balance service resumption plans with the necessary health system capacity required for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients; including the need for ongoing expanded testing capacity, long term contact tracing demands and maintaining the ability for the foreseeable future to surge to meet the requirements when localized outbreaks happen.”
One of the more contentious issues with the shutdown of the province and limiting hospital activities was the cancellation of elective surgeries. That has now been expanded, with the previous guideline of only accommodating emergencies and those needing urgent surgery within three months to those needing surgery within six months.
A pause on non-urgent and elective surgeries two months ago was necessary to minimize risk to those not needing emergent care, while ensuring hospitals had capacity for a surge in COVID patients, the SHA explained. While that need has not changed, the importance of cautiously increasing surgeries for the physical and mental well-being of those on waiting lists is being taken into account.
“A patient’s priority on the surgery list will be determined based on a clinical assessment by their physicians, in consultation with the patient,” said the SHA’s Dr. Rashaad Hansia, Physician Executive of Integrated Health Urban. “It’s not based only on the type of surgery needed. Given the complexity of the work involved to resume surgical services in as safe a manner as possible, we won’t see a significant increase right away. What we are seeing is surgeons working with their patients to assess their needs and determine who qualifies for the six-week urgent category, then scheduling those for today and in the weeks ahead.”
Even with the relaxed restrictions, don’t expect a regular hospital routine. Additional measures have been put in place to protect staff and patients, including adaptation of waiting room practices to promote physical distancing, additional emphasis on virtual care wherever possible, and additional screening at health care facilities. While the additional precautions may be inconvenient, the SHA asks patients to be patient with the process, as the actions are being taken to ensure the health and safety of all.
And further to that point, if a situation occurs where COVID-19 is found in the community or re-emerges, everything can change in an instant -- considerations around localized outbreak status, capacity, requirements around adhering to public health orders and other factors used to ensure safety and readiness will all be taken into account.
For more information on the SHA service resumption plan, be sure to go to saskatchewan.ca/COVID-19.