WINNIPEG -- A Portage la Prairie, Man., man says he's in limbo after his double bypass surgery was cancelled two weeks in a row.
Shervin Shahidian, 48, made the trip to Winnipeg twice over the last seven days, only to be told go home due to staff shortages.
Shahidian initially came to St. Boniface Hospital on Sept. 30 for the bypass surgery, but it was cancelled and rescheduled for Oct. 7. This surgery was also cancelled.
"Every time I do this I have to write my own will again. That's what I do basically, you go through everything, you never know what's going to happen right," he said.
Shahidian has had two heart attacks since 2015 and stents placed in his heart
The 48-year-old said his cardiologist told him earlier this year he now needed a double bypass.
"The doctor explained everything to me that it's very dire to do this surgery right away, it's very dangerous at this point," Shahidian said.
NDP Leader Wab Kinew said this type of situation is becoming increasingly prevalent.
“This situation has become more and more common because of the cuts to health care and the closures of the emergency rooms, It’s left St. Boniface overwhelmed," he said.
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said it can't comment on a specific case but regrets disruptions to what it calls elective cardiac surgeries.
It said changes in schedules can happen due to unanticipated emergency surgeries, and when a patient first schedules a surgery they receive information that indicates it may be rescheduled with limited notice in the event of an emergency.
Shahidian said the hardest part isn't the inconvenience of putting his life on hold two times and counting, but the fear of not getting the surgery in time.
"I just think that I'm not going to see another day and this would be hard for not me but people around me," he said.
