The Government of Saskatchewan is investing more than $17 million to expand intensive care unit (ICU) capacity at Royal University Hospital (RUH) in Saskatoon.

The project includes renovations to the existing space to accommodate 26 single-patient ICU rooms. Construction will begin this week in a two-phased approach and is expected to be complete within two years. ICU patients will be relocated to another vacant unit during the renovation.

“By modernizing the existing ICU and adding seven new beds, we are better equipped to respond to the most complex and urgent patient needs, while also supporting and enhancing the high-quality care delivered by critical care teams to patients during some of their most difficult moments,” said Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO Andrew Will.

This latest investment builds on Saskatchewan Health Authority’s Saskatoon Capacity Pressure Action Plan, which outlines concrete actions to alleviate the immediate pressures facing hospital capacity in Saskatoon.