TL;DR: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is available in Saskatchewan through one hospital programme at Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital in Moose Jaw, which has operated on reduced hours since 2021. Saskatchewan Health covers HBOT when it is delivered for Health Canada-recognised conditions by referral from your physician. When the Moose Jaw chamber cannot accept a referral, Saskatchewan patients are most often routed to the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary. This guide explains how the system works, what is covered, and how to get a referral.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a medical treatment in which a patient breathes 100 percent oxygen inside a pressurised chamber. The increased pressure dissolves more oxygen into the blood plasma, which supports wound healing, fights certain infections, and reverses gas-related injuries. In Saskatchewan, HBOT is part of the publicly funded hospital system, but access is shaped by the fact that the province has only one hyperbaric programme. If you live in Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, or anywhere outside Moose Jaw, your treatment plan will often involve travel, and in some cases an out-of-province referral to Alberta.
This guide is written for Saskatchewan patients and families. It covers where treatment is delivered, what Saskatchewan Health pays for, how a referral works, what a session involves, and how to think about private clinics. Canada Hyperbarics publishes plain-language guides like this one so patients across the country can make informed decisions before they speak with their physician. You can also browse the full directory of hospitals and regulated facilities across the country to see how Saskatchewan compares with the rest of Canada.
Where can I receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy in Saskatchewan?
Saskatchewan has one hospital-based hyperbaric programme. The chamber is located at Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital in Moose Jaw, operated by the Saskatchewan Health Authority. The unit serves the entire province and historically accepted both elective referrals and urgent transfers from emergency rooms across Saskatchewan.
The Moose Jaw chamber closed in July 2021 due to a shortage of respiratory therapists trained to operate the unit, then partially reopened with reduced hours. Capacity has been limited ever since. The Saskatchewan Health Authority has worked to recruit and train additional staff, but as of 2026 the unit still cannot run a full clinical schedule. This matters for patients because urgent indications such as carbon monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness, and acute central retinal artery occlusion are time-sensitive, and a chamber on reduced hours may not be able to accept every transfer.
When Wigmore cannot accept a patient, the most common interprovincial pathway is to the multiplace hyperbaric programme at the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, Alberta. Saskatchewan patients can also be referred to Misericordia Community Hospital in Edmonton depending on clinical urgency and which Alberta unit has open capacity. Out-of-province transfers are arranged physician to physician and remain covered when the referring clinician documents that the indication is one Saskatchewan Health funds. You can read more about the Moose Jaw programme on our dedicated Moose Jaw HBOT page.
Does Saskatchewan Health cover hyperbaric oxygen therapy?
Yes. Saskatchewan Health covers medically necessary HBOT when it is delivered in a hospital for a Health Canada-recognised condition and the referral is supported by appropriate clinical documentation. There is no separate billing code that a patient sees. The hospital bills the provincial plan directly, and the patient pays nothing for the treatment itself.
Travel and accommodation are a different matter. Saskatchewan Health does not automatically reimburse the cost of driving to Moose Jaw, staying in a hotel during a multi-week course of treatment, or flying to Calgary for an out-of-province referral. Some patients qualify for support through their employer-sponsored extended health plan, the Workers’ Compensation Board if the indication is work-related, or charitable patient travel programs. Ask your referring physician’s clinic to identify which travel-assistance pathways apply to your specific situation before the first appointment.
What conditions can hyperbaric oxygen therapy treat in Saskatchewan?
The Saskatchewan Health Authority delivers HBOT for the same set of Health Canada-recognised conditions that other Canadian hospital programmes treat. These include:
- Carbon monoxide poisoning, including delayed neuropsychiatric symptoms
- Decompression sickness and arterial gas embolism
- Diabetic foot ulcers that have not healed after standard wound care
- Compromised skin grafts and flaps after surgery
- Delayed radiation injury to bone or soft tissue
- Necrotising soft-tissue infections and gas gangrene
- Refractory osteomyelitis
- Severe acute crush injuries with threatened tissue loss
- Central retinal artery occlusion in the first few hours after symptom onset
- Sudden sensorineural hearing loss within the early treatment window
- Severe anaemia in patients who cannot accept transfusion
A recent multicentre observational study of HBOT practice across ten Italian centres, published in the Journal of Anesthesia, Analgesia and Critical Care, reported that sudden hearing loss, carbon monoxide poisoning, and soft-tissue infection accounted for the largest share of treatments in the national cohort (Ippolito et al., 2026; PMID 42129901). This indication mix gives Canadian patients a useful sense of which conditions show up most often in real-world hospital practice, even though the figures come from outside Canada.
For carbon monoxide exposure specifically, a 2026 study in Clinical Toxicology retrospectively reviewed 312 patients treated with four different HBOT dosing regimens and found that protocols delivering 2.8 ATA were associated with a lower rate of delayed neuropsychiatric symptoms than protocols at 2.0 ATA (Gur et al., 2026; PMID 42148903). The authors note that this was a retrospective analysis rather than a randomised trial, so the result supports the use of HBOT for serious carbon monoxide exposure rather than mandating a single dosing protocol. Treating clinicians still individualise the pressure and number of sessions.
For central retinal artery occlusion, a sudden painless loss of vision in one eye that is sometimes called a “stroke of the eye,” a 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis pooled twelve studies and found that HBOT was associated with better visual outcomes than standard care, with a favourable pooled odds ratio (ALBalawi et al., 2026; PMID 42123263). The effect was strongest when treatment was started early. This is the type of indication where the reduced hours at the Moose Jaw unit may push your care to Alberta, since the treatment window is short.
For surgical and chronic wounds, a 2026 narrative review in Cureus summarised the mechanisms by which HBOT supports healing, including enhanced oxygen delivery, new blood vessel growth, fibroblast activation, and immune modulation. The authors reported that clinical evidence supports HBOT use in chronic ischaemic wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers, radiation-injured tissue, and burns (González Flores et al., 2026; PMID 42037844). This is consistent with what Saskatchewan-referring surgeons and wound-care teams already use HBOT for.
How do I get a referral for HBOT in Saskatchewan?
HBOT in Saskatchewan is referral-based. A patient cannot self-refer to the Wigmore unit, and walk-in private hyperbaric services do not bill the provincial plan. The standard pathway has three steps:
- Speak with your family physician or nurse practitioner. Describe the condition you believe may benefit from HBOT, and bring any imaging, lab work, or specialist letters you already have. Your family physician will determine whether a hyperbaric consultation is clinically appropriate.
- Obtain a specialist or surgical assessment if required. Many HBOT indications, such as diabetic foot ulcers, compromised grafts, radiation injury, and necrotising infection, require a specialist diagnosis before the referral to the hyperbaric service. Your family physician will coordinate this step.
- The referring clinician contacts the hyperbaric service. For elective indications the referral goes to the Moose Jaw unit. For urgent indications, or when Moose Jaw cannot accept the patient, the referring clinician will reach the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary directly through the Saskatchewan-Alberta interprovincial referral pathway.
If you are an emergency room patient with carbon monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness, or arterial gas embolism, this process happens at the speed of the emergency department. The referral is made physician to physician within hours, and transport is arranged by the receiving hospital. You do not need to coordinate any of this yourself.
What does an HBOT session in Saskatchewan look like?
A typical clinical hyperbaric session at a hospital chamber lasts about 90 to 120 minutes from the time you enter the chamber until you exit. The treatment pressure is usually between 2.0 and 2.5 atmospheres absolute (ATA), which is roughly equivalent to being 10 to 15 metres underwater. You breathe pure oxygen through a mask or a hood while the chamber is at depth.
Most indications require a course of treatment, not a single session. The typical course is:
| Indication | Typical course length |
|---|---|
| Carbon monoxide poisoning | 1 to 3 sessions |
| Decompression sickness | 1 to several sessions, urgent |
| Sudden sensorineural hearing loss | 10 to 20 sessions |
| Diabetic foot ulcer or compromised graft | 20 to 40 sessions |
| Delayed radiation injury | 30 to 60 sessions |
A 30-session course at one treatment per weekday takes roughly six weeks. For a Saskatchewan patient travelling to Moose Jaw or Calgary, this is an important practical consideration. Ask the hyperbaric service at the time of referral how it accommodates out-of-town patients, including whether sessions can be batched in same-day blocks where clinically safe.
Common side effects are mild and usually limited to ear pressure during compression, which is managed the same way you would equalise on a flight or while diving. Less common side effects include temporary near-vision changes, sinus discomfort, and rare cases of oxygen toxicity at higher pressures. The hyperbaric team screens for contraindications such as untreated pneumothorax, certain chemotherapy drugs, and active respiratory infections before treatment starts.
What about private hyperbaric clinics in Saskatchewan?
Private hyperbaric services exist in some Canadian provinces, but Saskatchewan currently has very limited private-clinic capacity for HBOT compared with Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, or Quebec. Across Canada there are more than twenty private hyperbaric facilities operating in addition to the hospital programmes, and almost all of them are concentrated in the larger urban centres of those four provinces.
If you are considering a private hyperbaric clinic for an indication that Saskatchewan Health does not cover, a few practical points are worth knowing. First, private clinics often operate mild hyperbaric chambers at pressures below 1.5 ATA. The clinical evidence reviewed above was generated at hospital-grade pressures of 2.0 ATA or above, and findings do not automatically extend to mild HBOT. Second, costs are out of pocket and can be substantial, ranging from roughly $150 to $500 per session depending on the chamber, the protocol, and the location. Third, indications that are still being studied, such as long COVID symptom relief, post-concussion syndrome, or cosmetic recovery, are not currently funded by Saskatchewan Health and are areas where evidence is still developing. Ask any clinic for the specific studies its protocol is based on, and check those studies in our research database before paying for a course of treatment.
Travel and access for rural Saskatchewan patients
Saskatchewan is a large province with a comparatively small population, and the single Moose Jaw chamber means that most patients face a meaningful drive. Saskatoon to Moose Jaw is roughly 240 kilometres. Prince Albert to Moose Jaw is closer to 380 kilometres. Patients in the north-west may find Edmonton more accessible by air than Moose Jaw is by road. If you are being referred for a multi-week course of HBOT, raise the question of accommodation and travel logistics with the referring physician’s clinic before the first session.
Patients whose indication is work-related may be eligible for Workers’ Compensation Board support, which can fund both treatment and travel. Patients with a recognised disability or chronic condition may qualify for Saskatchewan Aids to Independent Living transportation support. Employer-sponsored extended health insurance sometimes funds travel for medically necessary out-of-town care. The hospital’s social work or patient-flow team can usually point you to the right application forms.
Frequently asked questions about HBOT in Saskatchewan
Is hyperbaric oxygen therapy covered by Saskatchewan Health?
Yes, when it is delivered in a hospital for a Health Canada-recognised indication and a physician has documented the medical need. The hospital bills Saskatchewan Health directly. Patients are not invoiced for the treatment itself. Travel, accommodation, and time off work are not automatically covered, so plan those costs separately.
Where is the closest HBOT chamber to Regina or Saskatoon?
The closest chamber to both Regina and Saskatoon is Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital in Moose Jaw, about 75 kilometres from Regina and 240 kilometres from Saskatoon. Because the unit operates on reduced hours, some patients are referred to the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary or to Misericordia Community Hospital in Edmonton instead.
Can I self-refer to the Moose Jaw chamber?
No. HBOT at Wigmore is referral-based. A family physician, specialist, or emergency physician must contact the hyperbaric service on your behalf. The referring clinician will provide the clinical documentation that supports the indication.
How long is the wait for HBOT in Saskatchewan?
Wait times depend on the indication and the unit’s operating hours. Emergency indications such as carbon monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness, and arterial gas embolism are treated within hours and are routed to whichever chamber is operational and closest. Elective indications such as diabetic foot ulcers and delayed radiation injury can wait several weeks to several months. Your referring physician will be able to share the most current estimate at the time of referral.
Does Saskatchewan Health cover mild HBOT or private-clinic treatment?
No. Saskatchewan Health funds clinical hyperbaric oxygen therapy delivered at hospital programmes for Health Canada-recognised conditions. Treatments provided at private clinics or in mild hyperbaric chambers at pressures below 1.5 ATA are not insured services and are paid for out of pocket.
What happens if Moose Jaw cannot take me?
Your physician will arrange an interprovincial referral. The standard pathway routes Saskatchewan patients to Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, with Misericordia in Edmonton as an alternative depending on capacity and clinical urgency. The interprovincial referral remains a funded service as long as the indication qualifies.
Will I need to travel for HBOT?
Most likely, yes. Unless you live in Moose Jaw, expect a drive of at least an hour each way, and longer from northern Saskatchewan. For multi-week courses of treatment, ask the hyperbaric service whether it can group sessions, and ask the hospital’s patient-navigation or social-work team about travel-support programmes you may qualify for.
Where to go from here
If you think hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be appropriate for your condition, the first step is a conversation with your family physician or nurse practitioner. Canada Hyperbarics maintains an independent directory of every hospitals and regulated facilities programme in the country, including the Moose Jaw unit and the Alberta programmes that most often receive Saskatchewan patients. Our coverage guide for Canada walks through how each provincial plan funds HBOT, and our research database is searchable by condition so you and your physician can review the latest evidence together.
Canada Hyperbarics is not affiliated with any specific clinic. We publish guides, coverage data, and research summaries to help Canadian patients and physicians make better-informed decisions about hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Medical disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a medical treatment that must be prescribed and supervised by a qualified clinician. Always speak with your family physician or specialist before pursuing HBOT for any condition.