A Saskatoon woman undergoing cancer treatment says she was concerned to find much of the cancer centre closed when she arrived for chemotherapy last week. Ashley Eckhardt was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer a few months ago, and is undergoing chemotherapy every two weeks. She says the Saskatoon Cancer Centre is usually busy, with a full parking lot and treatment chairs filled with patients. She says that changed last Friday, alleging half of the treatment areas were closed. After asking about the change, Eckhardt said nurses told her the closures were due to staffing shortages. “The nurses informed me that they, due to staff shortages, needed to close half the center. They just were seeing roughly half the amount of people that day,” she said in an interview with CTV News. Eckhardt said nurses also told her patients were being triaged, which she found heartbreaking to hear. That prompted her to call the complaint line and raise her concerns. “I voiced my concern that I shouldn’t feel like I’m the lucky one to get my chemotherapy on time, and that it was unacceptable in my mind,” she said. She said she was initially told her complaint was being redirected and she would receive a response. Days later, she hadn’t heard anything. Eckhardt said the experience added another layer of stress to an already difficult time. “It is super stressful just going to receive those infusions. It’s not a place that you want to be, and then having the fear of your life-saving treatment being taken away, it just added to the stress of the whole treatment process.” She believes changes are needed in the health-care system. “I think there needs to be some big changes on a government level with our health care, not just throwing more money, but some real changes,” she said. In a statement to CTV News, the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency said staffing levels can affect the number of chemotherapy chairs in use. “As with any health service, sufficient staffing is required to support the delivery of safe patient care. On occasion, we have operated a reduced number of chemotherapy chairs to align with staffing levels,” the statement read. The agency added it continues to focus heavily on recruitment and retention. With another appointment scheduled in a few weeks, Eckhardt says she’s worried staffing shortages could again affect the centre, and her appointment could be cancelled.
