CUPE 5430 is calling on the provincial government to abandon plans to develop a new whistleblower hotline to report health care workers and instead focus on fixing Saskatchewan’s health care crisis.
“At a time when short-staffing is forcing health care facilities to close, patients are waiting months or even years for care, and health care workers have gone nearly four years without a raise, investing in a whistleblower hotline is a misplaced priority,” said Bashir Jalloh, President of CUPE 5430. “It is unnecessary, wasteful, and diverts scarce public resources away from urgent front-line needs.”
The proposed anonymous reporting system would duplicate existing process for reporting complaints. Patients, families, and staff can share concerns with unit managers, patient advocates, client representatives, or quality of care coordinators. Formal complaints can be filed through professional regulatory bodies, including the Saskatchewan College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses’ Association, the Saskatchewan Association of Licensed Practical Nurses and the Saskatchewan Association of Medical Radiation Technologists.
Beyond concerns about cost and effectiveness, Jalloh says this proposal sends the wrong message to health care workers:
“This initiative is an insult to the health care workers who are making sacrifices every day to keep a broken system running,” said Jalloh. “Instead of investing in another layer of bureaucracy, the province should be focused on retaining staff, improving working conditions, and reducing wait times. They need to focus on our fixing health care system and that starts with supporting the people who deliver it.”