NDP call on gov't to fully reopen province's only hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber

The NDP is calling on the province to reopen the only hyperbaric chamber in the province to its full capacity.

The province's only hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) chamber at Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital in Moose Jaw closed temporarily in July 2021 because of a lack of respiratory therapists. It recently reopened with reduced hours.

Brayden Dutchak is advocating for a wider reopening of the hyperbaric chamber. His mom, Tamara Heppner is a survivor of cervical cancer, and she's had to go to Calgary until just recently to get what Dutchak says is life-saving HBOT treatment.

He said it's unacceptable that patients have had to go out of province to get this type of treatment

"The people that have had to go out for for this type of treatment, they're out thousands upon thousands of dollars that the government is saying that they're not willing to to help out with," Dutchak said.

"We've inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment and out-of-luck patient treatment."

HBOT uses high concentrations of oxygen to prevent tissue death, promote healing and fight infections for patients with various injuries including carbon monoxide poisoning, burns and necrosis from radiation.

Brayden Dutchak says until just recently his mother has had to travel to Calgary for treatment in a hyperbaric chamber. (Richard Agecoutay/CBC News)

In the nearly three years since her chemotherapy treatments, Heppner has been in and out of hospital with severe bleeding and blood clots caused by necrosis — the death of body tissues — as a result of the cancer treatment.

When she is healthy enough, she travelled about 675 kilometres to Calgary to access HBOT.

About two weeks ago Dutchak said his mother received a call from the Saskatchewan Health Authority to say she could finish her therapy in Moose Jaw. So far she has received nine sessions in the past two weeks.

Dutchak said he believes HBOT can help keep his mother alive.

He started a petition in late December to call for the SHA to "immediately" prioritize hiring and recruiting the staff needed to fully reopen the Moose Jaw HBOT chamber.

NDP Opposition Leader Carla Beck says the root cause of not having a fully-running HBOT program is the government can't attract and retain health-care professionals.

"We have again a hyperbaric chamber that was fundraised, very much valued by the community, sitting idle because this government has failed to have an effective retention plan for health-care workers," Beck said

Saskatchewan's only hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, used by a patient in this 2015 image, had been closed since July 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and staffing shortages. (Submitted by Gail Sack)

Speaking at the SUMA convention Monday morning in Regina, Premier Scott Moe said the hyperbaric chamber has reopened on a limited basis.

He said they need four trained specialists staff to run the HBOT at full capacity and right now there are only three.

"And as soon as we're able to find the four specialists, it'll be open back to the regular hours that it has," Moe said.

But Dutchak disputes the claim that four respiratory therapists are needed to run the HBOT program.

"They never had four [specialists] when that chamber was running a few years ago," Dutchak contends.