Roblin man appeals to Kinew about ER closure

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This article was published 04/01/2024 (727 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A 21-year-old man from Roblin said it frightened him when he learned that the emergency department at the Roblin District Health Centre will be closed on some days, and have reduced hours on other days, effective immediately.

And that’s why Cole Nickell said he decided to write a letter to Premier Wab Kinew asking why the decision was made.

“It concerns me when I see how many hours we lost in our ER,” Nickell said. “Health is a provincial issue, and my general questions were what are they doing, and why do our residents have to go through this? I also outlined how serious of an issue this is.”

The one-page letter was sent on Dec. 31, Nickell said, after he saw the ER schedule posted by Prairie Mountain Health on social media.

Under the new schedule, the ER at Roblin District Health Centre is open today until 4 p.m., and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. On the weekend, it’s open from 8:30 a.m. Saturday until Sunday at 8:30 p.m.

The following week of Jan. 8-14, it’s only open two days — Monday and Thursday. A week later, it’s open four days in a row, including the weekend. And during the last three days of the month, it’s open on Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

“Some of my close friends have severe heart issues. And if they need an ER, every second counts, you know? So, it just frightens me as an individual,” Nickell said.

The content of the letter included Nickell’s statement that the action “jeopardizes the lives of Roblin’s residents and neighbouring communities.”

The nearest ER to Roblin that’s open 24-7 is the Russell Health Centre, which is 53 kilometres away, or about a 35-minute drive. Brandon is about two and a half hours away, at 236 km.

“Imagine the terror of waiting over 40 minutes for an ambulance during a life-threatening emergency,” Nickell wrote in his letter to the premier. “If our ER closes, the delay to the next available hospital could be a fatal two hours.”

“Our community members are at their wits’ end, spending their own hard-earned money to recruit and keep doctors. This is not a sustainable solution,” wrote Nickell.

It’s frustrating, said Robert Misko, head of council for the Municipality of Roblin, who added that his community is not unique in dealing with health-care staff shortages that are progressively getting worse.

“Cole’s letter makes it very clear. We’d like some answers,” Misko said. “What is the plan? If you have something, share it with us, explain to us how you see this working in the future, what are you going to do to solve it? At least give us some kind of hope that this is going to get better.”

There are two doctors in Roblin. Both are international medical graduates who are qualified to practise medicine in Canada.

A few years ago, the municipality started a recruiting fund and council is in the process of securing a headhunting firm to find new doctors for the community, much like the municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain did.

Misko said they found two international medical students, but considering the time it will take for them to go through their residency program and required tests, Roblin is “at least 18 months away from another doctor.”

Roblin also offers financial incentives to attract and keep nurses and lab technicians, and it purchased homes for the doctors.

“The community supports it, not because they want to spend the money, but because they really want the health-care system to work in our community. So, you have to do it, you have to do it. No one wants to pay higher taxes; we all get that,” Misko said.

“It’s just so frustrating when you have no control over it, yet you get the responsibility of it.”

There are nurse practitioners in Roblin, added Misko, who are willing to take shifts to keep the ER open during the weekends and evenings, but according to the College of Physicians and Surgeons, they are not qualified.

Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, said the government is making strides in connecting with front-line health-care workers, but added there are so many issues that need to be discussed.

“I don’t understand why they wouldn’t be using nurse practitioners. As far as I’m concerned, nurse practitioners are incredibly valuable and very underutilized,” Jackson said.

“Their scope is very similar to a physician’s. They can prescribe, they can diagnose, they can order lab tests. It’s also a great way to improve your skills and keep things moving.”

The decision to reduce the ER hours at Roblin District Health Centre was made by Prairie Mountain Health. The Sun’s questions as to what the decision was based on were not returned by press time.

Nickell told the Sun that by end of day Wednesday, he had not received a reply from Premier Kinew. Neither had the Sun.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said that after seven years of PC party cuts, there is a lot of work to do to fix the health-care system and recruit and retain the staff needed to fix health care for Manitoba families.

“We know families across Manitoba are worried about the state of our health care, and fixing our health care remains the top priority of Premier Kinew and our government,” Asagwara wrote in an email to the Sun.

“We’ve taken action right away to add staff capacity to hospitals in Winnipeg, Brandon, and Selkirk, and we’re listening to health care workers across the province through our listening tour, repairing the relationship with our health care workers and working with them to find solutions to recruiting and retaining the staff we need to fix our health care for Manitoba families.”

Misko said he’s tired of health care being an election issue, of one party blaming the other.

“Really, truthfully, this is one of those things that should not be political, it should not be on a party line. You are elected to represent all of us, it doesn’t matter what your colour stripe is when you get elected. You’re supposed to be representing all Manitobans and doing what’s best for all of us. Step up,” Misko said.

Of the 20 health-care facilities in the Prairie Mountain Health Region, eight of those have 24/7 emergency departments: Brandon, Dauphin, Killarney, Minnedosa, Neepawa, Russell, Swan River, and Virden.

There are five communities with no ER services at all: Carberry, Grandview, Melita, Shoal Lake, and Winnipegosis.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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