Manitoba patient died after going to a closed ER and being turned away: critical incident report
A new report from Manitoba Health that looks at critical incidents in the health-care system shows 35 instances where people died while receiving care, one of which saw a person die after an emergency department was closed and they were turned away.
The report was from the beginning of October to the end of December 2020 and highlighted all serious incidents.
One case in the report shows an individual was taken to a health-care facility but the emergency department was closed. The person was then taken to the next closest facility but they died.
The report does not name which facility the incident occurred.
Darlene Jackson, the president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, said hearing of situations like this is tragic.
“It is a reality that we’re seeing now and I think it’s a reality we are going to see more and more in the future,” said Jackson. “I believe we are going to see more and more emergency rooms closed or beyond diversion in the rural areas and that is all due to the nursing shortage.”
She said it is really unfair that this happening to rural Manitobans.
Jackson said one of the biggest concerns for her is people may not know if an emergency department is open or not.
She added having scheduled closures that people are aware of is one, but the short notice closures could pose a significant problem.
“How do you communicate that to your community…so they aren’t driving 20 minutes in one direction to a hospital that is closed and then turning around and then going 40 minutes in the same direction to a hospital that is open?”
She said the recent storms and extensive overland flooding can cause added problems such as closed roads that might lengthen someone’s trip to the hospital.
A spokesperson for the province said critical incident reports are done so that health-care providers can look at what can be done differently and what improvements need to be made.
“This formal process is a way to examine the system more broadly, consider what may contribute to incidents when they happen and look at how to make changes to prevent their recurrence,” the spokesperson said.
They added critical incident reports do not take place for other investigations.
Jackson said one thing the province needs to work on is addressing the nursing shortage as well as proper communication for communities when there are closures.
From the data gathered by the province, 26 of the 35 deaths mentioned said residents developed a health-care acquired infection associated with a serious outcome.
The province does note at the top of the report that critical incidents related to COVID-19 outbreaks were reported as groups.
The report can be viewed here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
'It was violent': Police tear down U of A pro-Palestinian encampment Saturday morning
Multiple people at the protest camp torn down at the University of Alberta campus Saturday say police's actions against protesters were "violent" and "disproportionate."
Trucker's body found in trailer in Newfoundland after failed police search in Ontario
Ontario Provincial Police are facing tough questions about their search for a missing Newfoundland trucker whose rig was found two weeks ago in Ontario, then sent back to Newfoundland, where his body was found Monday in the trailer.
An apartment block collapses in a Russian border city after heavy shelling, injuring over a dozen
An apartment block partially collapsed in the Russian border city of Belgorod on Sunday, leaving at least 19 injured. Officials blamed Ukrainian shelling and said there were also likely deaths.
German men with the strongest fingers compete in Bavaria's 'Fingerhakeln' wrestling championship
Despite the threat of dislocated fingers and strained muscles, over 150 Bavarian men came together Sunday to compete in Germany’s unique national championship of “Fingerhakeln,” or finger wrestling.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Michael Cohen: A challenging star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial
He once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now Michael Cohen is prosecutors' biggest piece of legal ammunition in the former president's hush money trial.
Feds 'committed to doing more,' but minister offers no timeline for Canadian Disability Benefit boost
Amid significant criticism from advocates, Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera is defending her government's long-promised, newly unveiled Canada Disability Benefit, calling the funds an "initial step," but without laying out a timeline for future expansion of the program.