Saskatchewan Government Expands Contract With Private Surgery Centres to Cut Wait Times

Saskatchewan Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill speaks during a media scrum after the Speech from the Throne in Regina, on Oct. 22, 2025. The Canadian Press/Heywood Yu

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has expanded its surgery contract with Surgical Centres Inc. in an attempt to cut wait times.

The health care provider has completed more than 16,700 publicly funded surgeries, which account for roughly 18 percent of all “core procedures” for 2024–2025, according to the provincial government.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority says the province’s surgical teams have achieved a “record breaking” number of surgeries since 2023, with 95,700 surgeries completed in 2023–24 and 100,400 in 2024–25. It is now aiming to complete 450,000 surgeries by the end of 2028.

Surgical Centres Inc. said it will continue to provide various surgical procedures including in the areas of orthopedics, reconstructive surgery, pediatric dental and oral surgery, and ophthalmology. It said the expanded scope in the renewed agreement will allow it to also include gynecology procedures for patients.

“Continuing the successful partnership we’ve established with Surgical Centres Inc. is a win for Saskatchewan patients,” Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said in an Oct. 21 press release.

Cockrill said the Surgical Centres facilities performed “thousands of routine day surgeries” each year, noting that it helped free up “high-demand” hospital operating rooms spaces for “more complex procedures.”

“We appreciate the staff, surgeons, anesthetists, nursing and support staff for their dedication and ability to work with our health system to improve quality of life for patients,” he said.

Official opposition MLA and shadow health minister Meara Conway recently criticized the provincial government in an online video over “privatization,” saying that it is costly and inefficient for patients. She also noted that wait times were “untenable.”

Conway said the NDP were launching a six-month consultation with residents of Saskatchewan over issues in health care.

Surgical Centres has two locations in the province: Prairieview Surgical Centre in Saskatoon and the Regina Surgical Centre. It has performed more than 181,000 procedures in partnership with the provincial health authority since 2012.

The regional director of operations and innovation at Surgical Centres, Fatima Fazal, said the centres have grown, expanded capacity, and helped to reduce wait times for more than a decade.

“Our clinical teams remain focused on delivering safe, consistent, and compassionate care, ensuring patients receive the surgical care they need,” Fazal said. “Together, we remain committed to ensuring Saskatchewan residents receive the publicly funded surgical care they need, when they need it.”

Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO Andrew Will said each surgery was a “life-changing” moment in someone’s life.

“By working together with partners like Surgical Centres Inc., we’re ensuring that more patients can access the procedures they need, when they need them, as close to home as possible.”

A recent report by SecondStreet.org found that Saskatchewan’s surgical waitlist dropped by more than 4,000 since 2022. It noted there were 31,902 still on a waiting list for surgery in the province as of June.

A Fraser Institute survey released earlier this year found Saskatchewan ranked fourth for patient wait times. It noted the average wait time for patients across Canada was 30 weeks. That number was approximately 37 weeks in Saskatchewan.