The NDP is calling for an independent investigation into how the Saskatchewan Health Authority incorrectly reported the temporarily closed Herbert emergency department was open. The SHA sent a statement on Tuesday apologizing for any confusion their error created. "After we released information showing that the Herbert ER had been closed for almost two full months, the SHA actually came and declared that the closed ER was in fact open," said Saskatchewan NDP Associate Health Critic Keith Jorgenson. "This then was shared and repeated on media and social media, and it took the SHA four full days to correct this misinformation. For four full days, the people in the Herbert district's lives were needlessly endangered by this misinformation." The NDP is demanding the SHA review how this mistake could have occurred. "How can you not fact check whether or not an ER is open before you direct people to go to an ER that is in fact closed?" Jorgenson said. "The Saskatchewan NDP is one asking for an apology from the government and the SHA to the people of the southwest for needlessly endangering their lives for four full days, and we're asking for an independent investigation into how something so grossly incompetent could have occurred." The SHA's statement explained their side of the incident. "This error was caused by a misunderstanding of service availability within SHA Communications. We take full responsibility and apologize for any confusion or concern this created." Jorgenson didn't think that apology was enough. "My understanding is the apology was to Swift Current Online and not to the people whose lives were, in theory, endangered in and around Herbert," he said. "I know even on our side, we take great pains to double check, triple check, quadruple check information about a hospital closure when we say a hospital is closed. If somebody from within the system can't tell whether or not a hospital is open or is closed, I mean, my word, like seriously, you don't have a phone? You can't phone the hospital and see if it's open before you put a press release saying that it is? It's inconceivable to me that something like this would happen and that somebody would not be more careful, especially when I think we now pointed out three times where the SHA has directed people to a closed hospital. "I think it rings hollow, and I think it's insincere because you're not apologizing to the people whose lives were put at risk." The SHA's apology did address the community as well. "Residents and patients rightly expect the information we provide to be reliable," the SHA's statement noted. "We take this responsibility seriously and are reviewing and strengthening our communication processes to prevent a similar error from occurring again." The incident also drew the attention of NDP Leader Carla Beck. "This is the kind of misinformation that can get someone killed," said the opposition leader in a post on X. The SHA blamed the emergency department closure in Herbert on a significant short-notice vacancy in diagnostic services. They have not given a timetable for when those services could be restored. "The southwest is becoming an increasingly sparsely populated area," Jorgenson said. "If in a life and death emergency, instead of driving 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 40 minutes, you're all of a sudden doubling that by forcing somebody to go to Swift Current instead of Herbert, that could be the difference between somebody surviving a critical incident and not." Swift Current Online reached out to the Ministry of Health to ask if they had any further comment. We will update if they respond.