CUPE 5430 Main Officec

1111 Osler St. Regina SK  S4R 8R4
Phone:  306–546-2185
Email: reception-main@cupe5430.ca

 

Region 1 Office (Former Local 5111)

1291-100th Street
North Battleford, SK S9A 0W4
Phone: 445-6433 
Fax: 446-2405
Email:  r1gvp@cupe5430.ca

 

Region 2 Office (former Local 4777)

215-16th Street West
Prince Albert, SK S6V 3V4
Phone: 922-0600 
Fax: 763-8915 
Email: r2gvp@cupe5430.ca 

 

Region 3 Office (former Local 3967)

1651 Park Street 
Regina, SK S4N 5A2 
Phone: 757-7925 
Fax: 757-6959
Email: r3gvp@cupe5430.ca 
Email: region3@cupe5430.ca

 

Region 4 Office (former Local 5999)

46 – 3rd Street
Weyburn, SK
S4H 0V9
Phone: (306) 842-1559
Fax: (306) 842-1560
Email: r4gvp@cupe5430.ca 
Email: r4admin@cupe5430.ca

 

Region 5 Office (former Local 4980)

180 A Broadway West
Yorkton, Saskatchewan S3N 1E2
Phone: (306) 783-1396
Fax: (306) 783-1398
Email: r5gvp@cupe5430.ca 

 

 

New report highlights critical situation facing medical technologists and technicians in Saskatchewan

REGINA: The CUPE Saskatchewan Health Care Council has released a report which indicates that increased workload and understaffing of medical technologists and technicians are putting them under extreme pressure and could compromise patient care. CUPE medical technologists and technicians provide essential services such as prepping medication, providing blood tests, X-rays, CT and MRI scans, and other diagnostic tests.

The report, titled Under Pressure: Report on the Workload of CUPE Medical Technologists and Technicians in Saskatchewan, is based on an intensive online survey of CUPE members who work as medical technologists and technicians.

“Medical technologists and technicians play a critical role in our health care system. Doctors often cannot diagnose or treat patients without timely – sometimes immediate – results from medical technologists and technicians,” said Holley Hermann, chair of the CUPE Medical Technologists and Technicians Committee and a medical laboratory technologist in the Sun Country Health Region. “Increased workload means that medical techs cannot complete all their work on shift, which pushes us to work through scheduled breaks, come to work early, or leave late.  This can lead to delays in patient diagnosis, errors, and staff burnout.”

With health care restructuring and budget cuts, there is much uncertainty about the future of provincial lab services. The province has appointed a working group to study changes to provincial lab services. 

“This is about patient care. Understaffing and crushing workloads jeopardize patient care and the government’s goal of “patient first.” If medical techs cannot deliver test results to doctors in a timely manner, patient care suffers,” said Sandra Seitz, president of the CUPE Saskatchewan Health Care Council. “When medical techs are working long hours and under intense pressure, there is a greater chance of making mistakes, which jeopardizes patient care.”

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) represents 874 medical technologists and technicians in five health regions in Saskatchewan: Prince Albert Parkland, Prairie North, Regina Qu’Appelle, Sun Country, and Sunrise. Over 20 per cent of members in these classifications participated in the report. 

Read the executive summary here.

 

 

 

About CUPE Local 5430

CUPE Local 5430 is the largest health care union in Saskatchewan, representing over 13,600 members. We represent a wide range of health care providers in five major classification areas: clerical, technical, nursing, support and plant operations. Together, we each contribute to the well-being of hospital patients, long-term care residents and home care clients.

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