A new campaign has been launched by SEIU-West to bring attention to the very real safety concerns resulting from ongoing understaffing in the health care sector.

Purple billboards will be displayed across the province encouraging the Saskatchewan provincial government to Put Care First: End Understaffing.

President with SEIU-West Barbara Cape

"What we are asking is that the public joins us in that call especially are residents, patients and clients, and their families, join us in that call to push for the provincial government to put forth more direct funding for health care workers."

Cape went on to say, well Saskatchewan has a world-class health care system, we are shortchanging it when it comes to keeping it well staffed.

This creates a huge problem not only for the direct frontline health care workers but also for our patient's clients and residents. 

This issue is especially prevalent in Estevan, many residents would agree that our local hospital has been understaffed for quite some time. 

"You know whether its in the fast food sector or if its newsrooms, reporters have been wickedly understaffed for well over a decade and you know its not for a lack of professionalism or skill, there are stories out there that people give a darn about but by understaffing across every single sector you are really shortchanging the public." 

It's not about returning investment to shareholders, it's about returned service to the public that we serve.

"It takes less than 10 minutes to add your voice and to really bring home the point to the decision makers in the province that the time of disinvestment in public services has to come to an end and we have to put our best foot forward for a world-class health care system and this is the way that we want to do it." 

Visit EndUnderstaffing.ca to find out more about this issue and to send a letter to decision makers.