Coffee Talk audio -

The Saskatoon Health Region recently approved a budget topping, for the first time, 1 billion dollars.

Eighty per cent of that goes to people cost- employees essentially. I'm not an accountant or Chief Financial Officer but I've had reason to visit emergency at RUH in the in the last few months.  What we don't seem to be lacking is people.  Not that getting seen happens any faster, but lack of staff - in terms of number of people in space occupied - seems ample.  But the Royal University Hospital is a teaching hospital so that undoubtedly has an impact.  The Emergency hallways and examining areas are not, by any stretch of the imagination, a nice place to spend any length of time.  Walls are dingy with holes in them, real cleaning needs to be done (not just spraying disinfectant over grime), there is no natural lighting and all this as you're suffering and surrounded by sick, injured and troubled people.  In addition it was hours - I'm talking over five hours from registering at emergency until seeing or talking to another single medical professional - and only after making another request at the registration desk, did real consultation begin.Once the show was on the road, however, there was access to specialists, doctors and testing.  The constant recitation of symptoms and chronology of events was incredibly tedious as a seemingly endless sea of residents had their kick at the can.  If Emergency is one of the areas medical professionals are seeing when being lured to Saskatchewan, and for the spirits of those both using the services and providing care, perhaps a yearly maintenance schedule involving a fresh coat of paint and filling holes in the walls shouldn't be overlooked as part of that 1 billion dollar budget.