Longstanding staff shortages in rural emergency rooms continue to create problems, with some being forced to close or reduce their hours.
Bonnie Nunn lives in Trehern, MB. since 1974. She says she has seen staffing shortages at the local hospital increase in recent years.
“I’m really mad, mad at everything. I don’t think there’s been enough thought given to it,” she said. I’m not mad at the nurses. They also need time off.”
Nunn said a family member recently needed emergency care and had to be taken to Portage la Prairie, about 45 minutes away, because the emergency department in Trehern was closed due to a lack of personal.
“If you need immediate attention, you know, it’s way too long,” Nunn said.
In a press release from Prairie Mountain Health Region on Thursday, the health care provider announced several changes to emergency room hours in western Manitoba.
In Trehern and Melita, emergency and hospital admissions have been temporarily suspended.
Souris and Grandview emergency departments are also reducing hours of operation and closing on certain days,
“These challenges, resulting from a combination of vacancies, staff leaves and vacations, have been discussed with physician leadership and staff at the affected sites as well as key community stakeholders,” reads the statement. Press release from Prairie Mountain Health Region.
In a statement to CTV News, the Manitoba Nurses Union said the closures affected other emergency rooms in the province.
“It adds an extra level of pressure both to the front line and to patients outside the city limits. It means people have to travel farther to get the care they need and adds an element of pressure additional to other parts of the hospital,” the statement read.
TREAT THE PROBLEM
Dr. David Cram, a Souris doctor who also sits on the board of directors of the Provincial and National Medical Association, says his emergency room recently had to close when he attended a conference in the absence of another colleague.
“When we were running out of doctors, and the stress of COVID came in, you can imagine if a doctor leaves or moves away for whatever reason, which happened to us, or if a post gets sick, or if we take well-deserved vacation, and literally you have so few doctors left that you have to shut it down,” Cram explained.
Dr. Cram said the problem extends beyond the Prairie Mountain Health Region, with rural emergency room staffing an issue across Canada,
“I definitely think there needs to be a health human resources plan for Manitoba and for all of Canada for that matter. I know the Canadian Medical Association is working on that.”
Cram added that trying new health care models, such as creating a rural doctor rotation that appeals to young doctors, could also help in the future.
“Get three or four doctors together, and they can agree to come for a week a month in a rural system and come for a week, and there will be some continuity of care.”
A sentiment shared by the Manitoba Nurses Union.
“With vacancy rates as high as they are and even higher in some rural areas of Manitoba, we are behind on ways to retain experienced nurses and recruit new recruits,” reads a statement. of the MNU. “It’s time we looked for more creative ways to encourage our experienced nurses to stay in the profession and new nurses to join the public system.”
The Manitoba Nurses Union says there are currently 2,497 nursing vacancies in Manitoba, or about 20% of the total number of vacancies.
In a statement from the province, a spokesperson said regional health authorities are working to retain health care staff.
“Rural regional health authorities continue to take many steps to recruit and retain health personnel in rural areas. Long-standing staffing issues and the availability of physicians in less populated areas of the province have been an ongoing challenge for decades,” the statement read in part.
The spokesperson noted that the province continues to invest in health care staffing across Manitoba, including a plan to add nearly 400 new nursing education seats and the addition of 35 paramedics. .
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