Three-year surgery wait prompts trip to legislature
While waiting roughly three years for parathyroid surgery, Terry Rebalkin has seen her life change dramatically.
She now requires a walker — something she didn't need last year — and had to move to a different home because the stairs were too hard to handle.
“That's their problem why I'm like this because I didn't get my surgery when I needed it,” Rebalkin told reporters on Tuesday after question period in the legislature. “It's just frustrating, very frustrating. I just want my life to go back to normal. I want to get back to work, get my surgery.”
With her frustration growing over being told to wait longer, Rebalkin took her concerns to the legislature hoping she could get some answers.
She is among roughly 35,000 people on Saskatchewan's surgical wait-list as health centres continue to face pressure under shortstaffed conditions.
“I've had to fight for this and nobody should have to do that,” she said. “I work, pay my taxes and abide by the law. I've done everything. I just want some respect, and I want my surgery.”
Rebalkin, who has dealt with kidney disease since 2008, has been waiting since 2019 for parathyroid surgery, which requires a three- to five-day stay in hospital for post-operative care.
While she said she's been notified of a date for the procedure, she's been told it could still be cancelled.
She said even though people are sick with COVID-19 in hospital, she's frustrated people like her are being left behind.
“What about the rest of us?” She said. “I've done everything you've asked me to do and what have I gotten out of it? Not a thing.”
Health Minister Paul Merriman told reporters the backlog is largely due to staffing challenges in the health-care system — a problem that other provinces are also dealing with.
He said it's a balance of maximizing capacity in the system while not burning out employees.
Health unions have previously said workers are experiencing burnout as pressures continue on the system.
“I don't want anybody to burn out. I don't want anybody to leave the profession. I want to be able to support them in a managed way,” he said.
NDP health critic Vicki Mowat told reporters Rebalkin's case is a result of record high hospitalizations and a shortage of health workers.
“When hospitals burst at the seams, surgeries are postponed and sick people go without urgent care,” she said.
“(Rebalkin) and the many others like her can wait no longer.”
While the province has introduced a plan to reduce the surgical backlog through third-party providers, Rebalkin is looking for immediate relief.
She had met with Merriman later in the afternoon.
“I'm hoping to hear that I'm going to get my surgery, and I'm not going to have to wait and I'm going to get a bed after, so that I can go on and be a productive member of society,” she said.
She is among numerous guests that have come to the legislature to share their stories.
While Merriman said he takes every case seriously, he acknowledged the system has experienced challenges.
“My heart goes out to them,” he said. “It's very serious, and I want to be able to have those surgeries done as soon as possible.”
Merriman said the province will soon provide an update on plans to have ICU capacity increased from 79 to 90 beds.
“We want to have a system that is better than before the pandemic in 2020,” he said. “If there are any future health challenges, we're ready for them.”