Growing Concerns Over Access to Rural Manitoba – Winnipeg Emergency Rooms | The Canadian News

A chainsaw accident while in Arborg prompted Kevin Barylski to head to the emergency department in hopes of receiving stitches. However, her plans quickly changed when she was told that no one was available to manage the care.

“Going to a hospital and being told they don’t give you points is like going to a restaurant without a cook,” says Barylsk.

He made the 35-minute drive to the neighboring city of Gimli, where his six-centimeter laceration was held together with eight stitches. As your wound heals, your frustrations remain.

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“For something as simple as getting stitches, and you can’t even do that in a hospital, that’s beyond…. I’m speechless “.

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The Barylski incident is not isolated. Between July 1 and September 30, there were 2,719 days of unplanned service suspensions at the Manitoba facility. However, Shared Health says it’s a 704-day improvement year-over-year.

Uzoma Asagwara, a health critic for the Manitoba NDP and Union Station MLA, says this will have repercussions.

“As a result of that, we will see more people leave their community, we will see that people have devastating and really preventable outcomes because they were unable to get timely medical care close to home,” says Asagwara. .

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“It’s not just about people being able to access an emergency room today or stay in a personal care home in their communities tomorrow, we’re talking about investing now for the future,” says Asagwara.

Barlyski says he knows his situation is small compared to what could be catastrophic for others.

“For me, it was all a couple of points. What if it was a snowmobile accident or a farm accident, or a hunting accident, where seconds are vital and count? “says Barylski.

“This is where my parents are from, and you are not getting proper medical care when this happens.”

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In a statement to Global News, Shared Health says: “There are also a number of facilities whose emergency departments are on long-term suspension (some from decades ago) and others that experience unplanned intermittent suspensions due to temporary staffing or physician shortages. , equipment repairs and other factors “.

When asked for a comment, Health Minister Audrey Gordon referred to Shared Health.

“Maybe we need to consider privatized healthcare where some people who want to get it can, because obviously the way this system is working is not,” says Barylski.

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Manitoba Announces $ 812 Million Expansion for Healthcare Facilities

The Manitoba government has earmarked $ 812 million in investments this year for a preventive and clinical services plan. Their goal is to develop a network of centers throughout the province that are staffed and equipped to provide more reliable access to services closer to home.

© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.



Reference-globalnews.ca

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