Manitoba woman worried about impact to rural care due to patient transfers
A Manitoba woman is concerned with a provincial decision to transfer patients out of Winnipeg to rural hospitals, saying it is impacting the care area residents are receiving.
Deb Bauche, who lives in a rural area outside of Boissevain, Man., brought her husband to the hospital in Boissevain Tuesday morning for treatment for a medical condition. She says this is not unusual for them, as it has happened before.
“We take him to Boissevain, and our family doctor admits him, replenishes his IV, and gives him morphine and stuff for pain,” Bauche said.
However, when she took her husband to the hospital, Bauche said he was admitted but there were no beds available at the Boissevain hospital. She said they were in use from patients from Winnipeg that had been transferred.
“When I left, he was still in the emergency room, and they were doing their best to find a bed so they could admit him,” Bauche said.
She said her husband was receiving care when she left, but he would be in the hallway until a bed was available.
Bauche, a retired nurse, said the Boissevain hospital already has limited staff. She is worried local patients, like her husband, won’t get the best care they can under the province and Shared Health’s initiative regarding patient transfers.
“They don't care that there are people in these rural communities who now can't get a bed and be taken care of by their own family physician familiar with their case,” she said.
Another hospital is one hour away from their home, but taking her husband there is something Bauche doesn’t want to do.
“I want him to be with his family physician, because he knows my husband has a health condition and the doctor now knows how to take care of it,” she said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Shared Health said facilities outside of Winnipeg continue to have capacity to admit patients both directly and through the inter-region transfer protocol.
“Those whose care needs require admission to a health care facility are being admitted to the most appropriate facility able to care for their health needs,” the statement reads.
“As Manitoba continues to manage the significant challenges that Omicron is placing on our health system, we recognize patient flow challenges can impact the length of time that some admitted patients wait in emergency departments.”
Shared Health said since October, 242 stable patients have been transferred outside of the health region they are being cared for as part of the inter-regional patient transfer protocol. This includes 13 in the past day and 35 in the past week.
In the interim, Bauche said she wants to see an increase in vaccinations in Manitoba and vaccine mandates to help ease the burden on hospitals.
-With files from CTV’s Devon McKendrick and Jeff Keele.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Person on fire outside Trump's hush money trial rushed away on a stretcher
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Senators reject field trip to African Lion Safari amid elephant bill study
The Senate legal affairs committee has rejected a motion calling for members to take a $50,000 field trip to the African Lion Safari in southern Ontario to see the zoo's elephant exhibit.
CFIA monitoring for avian flu in Canadian dairy cattle after U.S. discoveries
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is encouraging veterinarians to keep an eye out for signs of avian influenza in dairy cattle following recent discoveries of cases of the disease in U.S. cow herds.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
Vancouver firefighter in rehab at home after losing leg to flesh-eating infection overseas
A family trip took a frightening turn for Christopher Won when he was diagnosed with flesh-eating disease while in Hong Kong and now, after weeks of treatment overseas, the Vancouver firefighter is back home recovering.