Healthcare staffing shortages in Saskatchewan is a persistent problem in need of a permanent solution, according to the provincial nurses’ union.

On Dec. 2, union members attended question period at the Legislature to bring attention to job gaps across the province.

“The government needs to get serious about addressing a staffing crisis that has plagued Saskatchewan’s health and long-term care systems for over a decade,” said the president of CUPE 5430, Bashir Jalloh, in a media release sent after question period.

The union president stated that although healthcare recruitment and retention in Saskatchewan has been an issue prior to the emergence of COVID-19, the pandemic has accelerated staffing problems.

“We know that the stress of working through the pandemic, and the challenges with the vaccine rollout have made many healthcare workers think about switching careers or early retirement,” said Jalloh. “But we cannot ignore the rise of precarious work in healthcare as the primary reason we are facing a recruitment challenge.”

Based on information provided by the CUPE website, several rural communities are coping with service reductions due to staffing problems, including Canora, Redvers and Broadview.

“Our members are working shorthanded almost every shift,” said Jalloh, who also works as a Nuclear Medicine Technician in Regina.

“In some cases, continuing care assistants are so short, the existing staff are working eighty hours of overtime in a month to ensure residents get the care they need.”

Health Careers in Saskatchewan is an online job portal for the provincial health authority and other care providers. Full-time, part-time and casual positions are available for a variety of jobs, including registered nurses, social workers, respiratory therapists, cooks, laundry services, pharmacy technicians, and others.

The website currently lists 1,329 vacant healthcare positions in communities all over the province. Registered nurses are most in need, with 455 job openings.

Despite the abundance of healthcare positions needing to be filled, a large majority of them are part-time. Less than 200 jobs offer full-time, permanent employment. Jalloh thinks the lack of full-time work has contributed to staffing shortages.

“We know how to solve the crisis in healthcare staffing, and the government of Saskatchewan has the tools: market supplements, better wages, and full-time permanent jobs,” said Jalloh.

During question period, health critic Vicki Mowat asked how the province intends to tackle staffing shortages, particularly in rural communities.

Minister of Rural and Remote Health, Everett Hindley, responded that the government has short-term and long-term strategies to address these vacancies.

“We know that there are disruptions in rural Saskatchewan, and we are going to work very hard within our ministry, other ministries as well, to make sure that we get the appropriate health care workers,” said Hindley during session.

Hindley noted that $6 million has been pledged to hire and train continuing care aides.

CUPE members want the government to fulfill their promises, but changing targets are a concern.

“Some people thought the premier was finally acknowledging the staffing problem in the system when he promised to hire 300 additional CCAs during the 2020 election campaign, but that commitment was watered down to 108 positions in the last budget,” said Jalloh.

CUPE Local 5430 represents over 13,000 healthcare workers in a variety of positions across the province.