Summary

This bill requires the Minister of Health to publicly post information about any emergency room closure in Saskatchewan within one hour of the Provincial Health Authority approving the closure. The information must be made available through a website or other electronic means, and no new government funding is allocated for this requirement.

When a hospital emergency room in Saskatchewan closes, the Provincial Health Authority currently approves that closure, but there is no legal requirement to immediately inform the public. This bill would require the Minister of Health to post information about any ER closure on a website or through other electronic channels within one hour of the closure being approved. The goal is to help Saskatchewan residents know which emergency rooms are open when they need urgent medical care. The bill specifies that the Ministry must use existing resources to do this and cannot spend additional money from the General Revenue Fund to implement the notification system. The bill was introduced by an opposition member, passed second reading and was referred to committee, but was then removed from the order paper, meaning it is no longer being considered by the legislature.