As Saskatchewan worries how long its supply of personal protective equipment will last, Premier Scott Moe called a U.S. move to restrict vital respirator exports to Canada a “betrayal.”
Minnesota-based 3M said in a statement Friday that the Trump administration had invoked the Defense Production Act to force it to prioritize U.S. orders by FEMA for N95 respirators over those of other countries, including Canada.
Moe called Trump’s directive a “reckless decision” at an urgent time. Healthcare workers need respirators to protect themselves from COVID-19 infection, especially during risky procedures like intubation.
“This decision is nothing short of a betrayal of our two great nations’ shared history of working together in times of need,” said Moe.
“Canada has supported our neighbour to the south through times of war, terror and times of economic crisis,” he added. “And in this time of a pandemic, it is even more important that our nations strengthen our resolve to work together to fight this unseen enemy, this enemy that we call COVID-19.”
Moe said he has already been on the phone with U.S. governors to push back. He planned to phone still others, including the governors of Minnesota, Montana and Maryland.
He is leaving negotiations with the Trump administration to the federal government in Ottawa.
The dispute comes at a time when Saskatchewan health providers are worried about supplies of personal protective equipment like masks, respirators, gloves and gowns that is critical to keep them safe from infection.
Dr. Barb Konstantynowicz, vice-president of the Saskatchewan Medical Association, said “everyone’s concerned” about the future availability of those vital supplies.
The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) went further. Its president, Tracy Zambory, warned that PPE is already being rationed, a claim disputed by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA).
“There’s rationing of personal protective equipment,” said Zambory. “We’ve heard that busy emergency rooms are telling the registered nurses there that they get two masks.”
Zambory said practices are inconsistent from one facility to the next. SUN said home care nurses are also being affected, with PPE “under lock and key.”
“There is no rhyme or reason across the system. It seems like there’s loosey-goosey rules. There’s no directive, no one specific directive,” said Zambory.
The SHA confirmed in a statement that a two-mask protocol was put in place at a Regina emergency room. Spokeswoman Lisa Thomson noted that it was a local decision, not a provincial directive, and that the health authority is following up.
“We understand the intent was to provide health-care workers two masks to wear each day throughout their shift while treating patients, regardless if patients are presenting with COVID symptoms or not, as a preventive way to prevent exposure,” she noted.
But the SHA has rejected the word “rationing.” Earlier this week, chief medical officer instead said the SHA is making sure “we understand what is the best use of our personal protective equipment.”
