The capacity of the Regina General Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) will be expanding in the near future. Three new beds, increasing the unit’s total capacity from 25 to 28, are planned thanks to funding from the Government of Saskatchewan and Hospitals of Regina Foundation. “Expanding NICU capacity is an important step to putting patients first,” Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said at the announcement Monday. “Demand for neonatal services has continued to grow, we have a growing province so that makes sense. And this investment will increase capacity right here in the southern half of our province.” Saskatchewan Health Authority Chief Operating Officer Derek Miller said he’s excited and the team has been working hard over the last few months to get the new beds online. “In speaking with the team last week and just to give you a sense of our progress, we have fielded positions, and we’re just in the process now of orientation and onboarding in order to be able to start scheduling them in to open beds in early September,” he explained. The expansion represents $2 million of the $8.32 million earmarked for enhancing pediatric and neonatal care in the 2026-27 budget. The $2 million will fund more than 17 full-time equivalent positions required to staff the three new beds. Additionally, the Hospitals of Regina Foundation has committed $800,000 for the specialized technology used in the unit. “The additional beds for our NICU that Minister Cockrill announced this morning will ease the pressure and keep more of these very fragile babies right here close to home,” Hospitals of Regina Foundation President & CEO Dino Sophocleous told reporters. “Supporting pediatrics in our hospitals and health care facilities is the foundation’s number one priority.” Maternal and Children’s Programs Executive Director Kimberly Woycik expounded on the fact that the three new beds will allow more families with infants in the NICU to care for the child near home. “For many Saskatchewan families, keeping babies close to home not only supports better connections between infants and their families, it also allows parents, siblings, and loved ones to remain actively ... involved in a baby’s care journey during that critical time,” she said. “These benefits extend far beyond the walls of our NICU and have a lasting impact on families, communities, and patients’ experiences.”
