'I keep getting bumped': Manitoba woman with broken leg left waiting a week for surgery

A Manitoba woman has been waiting for a week with a broken leg, waiting for surgery that remains out of reach, with no end in sight.

Audrey Froese is currently waiting for surgery in a converted storage room in Health Sciences Centre (HSC).

"They were painting the other rooms they said," said Froese. "But I don't know how long painting can take?"

So far, it's taken at least as long as she's been waiting for her surgery – an entire week.

Froese broke her leg at work in Morden last Monday, and was quickly rushed by ambulance to Boundary Trails Health Centre.

But she didn't stay there long.

"I did see a surgeon there, and she said my shin bone is broken just below the knee. And she said it's a bad enough break that she doesn't feel comfortable fixing it," recalled Froese. "So she's going to send me to someone who has more of a specialty fixing it."

Froese was airlifted to HSC, where she has been waiting for her surgery ever since.

"I guess mine is not as important or not as urgent or whatever, so I keep getting bumped."

Froese said her nurses have been great, but she is frustrated with the health-care system that's kept her waiting for so long.

"Everything is out of their hands, and you know, they have a big long list of people that need surgeries," said Froese. "It was a runaround – a big old runaround."

In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for Shared Health said, while they can't speak to a specific patient’s care, they sympathize with this situation.

They said wait times for surgeries can vary depending on several factors, including the number of patients requiring surgery at any one time and the severity and complexity of their conditions.

The spokesperson said the sickest and most injured patients are prioritized for care.

"Patients only wait when it is deemed medically safe to do so, in available spaces that do not compromise their ongoing care," the statement reads.

"We recognize that waiting can be challenging, particularly when experiencing pain or discomfort. Staff are doing all they can to support patients both physically and emotionally while they wait for surgery."

As for the room Froese is in, the spokesperson said some rooms are currently being renovated, contributing to the need for some patients to receive care in a room that commonly functions as a patient care area and also holds some equipment.

They said this room does have all the required patient care equipment and call bells.