A Saskatoon woman undergoing cancer treatment says she was concerned to find much of the cancer centre closed when she arrived for chemotherapy last week.

Ashley Eckhardt was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer a few months ago, and is undergoing chemotherapy every two weeks.

She says the Saskatoon Cancer Centre is usually busy, with a full parking lot and treatment chairs filled with patients. She says that changed last Friday, alleging half of the treatment areas were closed.

After asking about the change, Eckhardt said nurses told her the closures were due to staffing shortages.

“The nurses informed me that they, due to staff shortages, needed to close half the center,” she said in an interview with CTV News.

Eckhardt said she called the complaint line to raise her concerns.

“I voiced my concern that I shouldn’t feel like I’m the lucky one to get my chemotherapy on time, and that it was unacceptable in my mind,” she said.

She said she was initially told her complaint was being redirected and she would receive a response. Days later, she hadn’t heard anything.

Eckhardt said the experience added another layer of stress to an already difficult time.

“It is super stressful just going to receive those infusions. It’s not a place that you want to be, and then having the fear of your life-saving treatment being taken away, it just added to the stress of the whole treatment process.”

She believes changes are needed in the health-care system.

“I think there needs to be some big changes on a government level with our health care, not just throwing more money, but some real changes,” she said.

In a statement to CTV News, the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency said staffing levels can affect the number of chemotherapy chairs in use.

“As with any health service, sufficient staffing is required to support the delivery of safe patient care. On occasion, we have operated a reduced number of chemotherapy chairs to align with staffing levels,” the statement read.

“It is a priority to deliver all treatments safely. This can also mean taking into account factors like how the patient is feeling and lab results. This helps to ensure that patients continue to receive safe, high-quality care in a timely manner,” the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency added.

The agency added it continues to focus heavily on recruitment and retention.

With another appointment scheduled in a few weeks, Eckhardt says she’s worried staffing shortages could again affect the centre.