Hospital services are becoming much easier to access in Swift Current, as the Saskatchewan Health Authority expands their online patient booking system. 

Rolling out in March, folks will be able to book appointments Blood/Urine Collection, ECG, a combination of the two, and Glucose Tolerance Tests at the laboratory at Cypress Regional Hospital.  

Lenore Howie, with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), said the online booking expansion will use the same vendor platform the SHA uses for COVID-19 and influenza vaccine bookings. 

“The use of this platform is going to be very easy to access,” she said. “The biggest concern that we're hearing from patients is the long wait within the health facility in Swift Current; when they do show up, that first few hours of the day Monday to Friday, there is a long line up and wait times that have been experienced. 

“What this will provide is an opportunity for patients and families to book appointments so that they don't have to stand and wait, or if there's not enough capacity, to then have to turn around and come back on an alternative date.” 

The online booking system can be found at SHA Patient Booking System, available 24/7.  

To book an appointment using the new online system, folks need a valid health card and a phone number or email address where notifications can be sent. 

A total of six lab sites are set to go live by April of this year, including three sites for Moose Jaw, and one each for North Battleford, Prince Albert, and Swift Current. 

“We're really looking forward to the opportunity to roll it out for better access so patients and families can manage their time accordingly, because the value of their time is important to us.”