Transfer of Sask. COVID-19 ICU patients to Ontario ends as final person returns home

After nearly two months, Saskatchewan's transfer of critically ill COVID-19patients to Ontario for intensive care has come to an end.

On Tuesday, the province confirmed that the final ICU patient airlifted toOntario had returned home earlier that day.

It's the end of a policythat produced heart-wrenching stories from the families left behind in Saskatchewan and tragic endings for those who didn't come home alive.

While the transfer program has come to an end,many questions remain about the policy, including the total cost of the airlift.

The decision to airlift patients suffering from COVID-19 came during the peak of the fourth wave of COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan.

The provincial government transferred the first patientto Ontario on Oct. 18,as it struggled to deal with a record number of intensive care patients.

The province reported 335 COVID-19-related hospitalizations that day, including85in intensive care units.

Normally, Saskatchewanonly has 79 ICU beds.

But the peak of the fourth wave was far from normal.

Saskatchewan was forced to halt manynon-essential services, including surgeries and organ donation, in order to shift health-care workers to deal with the surging number of cases.

WATCH |Sask. family frustratedafter 5-day wait for return of father's body from Ontario:

Sask. family frustrated over delays after father dies of COVID-19 in Ontario

3 years ago

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The family of a Saskatchewan COVID-19 patient is criticizing the province for delays and a lack of communication after their father was transferred to Ontario, where he died but it took five days for his body to be returned.

Even those decisions were not enough, and Saskatchewan was forced to eventually airlift a total of 27 patients to Ontario.

Only 21 of the patients would come home, with six dying in Ontario as a result of COVID-19.

They included people like Ken Millar, whose family waited five days for their father's body to be returned from Ontario, and Dr. Yousself Al-Begamy.

Questions remain

Theaccounting of the financial cost of the airlift is likely to continue for some time.

Under questioning in a legislative committee earlier this month, officials with theprovincial government released some estimates.As of December, the province paid nearly $800,000 as part of the airlift program.

Officials said they contractedsome of the flights used to airlift patients Ontarioto private companies.

Two were chosen:Fox Flight Air Ambulance and Sunwest Aviation, which was contracted through STARS Air Ambulance.

STARS was not an option, due to the limited range of its helicoptersand the necessity to quickly transport patients to Ontario, officials said.

Twenty-three people were transported by Fox Flight while two others were transported through Sunwest.The total cost of the respective contracts was $545,000 and $96,000.

Two other patients were airlifted through a Canadian Armed Forces flight. A cost for those transfershasnot been provided.

While thecosts associated with flying patients to Ontario are now public, details and specifics on the costs associated with flying patients back home have yet to be released.

WATCH | Indigenous patient details emotional toll of out-of-provincetransfer:

Indigenous patient details traumatic out-of-province transfer

3 years ago

Duration 2:04

A Saskatchewan Mtis man is urging health officials to be more sensitive when transferring COVID-19 patients out of the province. He says the process took an emotional toll and brought back painful memories of residential school.

There has also been no estimate released onwhat the province of Ontario may askSaskatchewan to pay for the 27 patients ittreated.

Saskatchewan Health Minister Paul Merrimanhas previously said the provincewouldn't get a bill from Ontario until the entire process was over and all patients wereback in the province.

The Health Ministry did not respond to a request for details on Tuesday evening.

Along with the flights, Saskatchewan has revealed that it covered costs for travel, meals and accommodationsfor the family members of ICUpatients flown to Ontario.

That expense was pegged at $142,532 as of Dec. 2.