PMH scrambles to fill Brandon ER shifts

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This article was published 14/08/2025 (233 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In an email marked “URGENT Request,” Prairie Mountain Health asked its physicians to cover four days at Brandon Regional Health Centre’s emergency department, including this weekend’s shifts.

When the memo was sent Wednesday, there were 10 vacant ER shifts from Thursday to Sunday for day, evening and night shifts.

The Sun learned about the vacancies from an anonymous source and saw a copy of the email that was sent to physicians by Prairie Mountain Health.

“Due to unforeseen physician shortages, we are looking for urgent help in the Brandon ED, particularly for this week,” the email stated.

As of Thursday afternoon, all the shifts had been filled. Prairie Mountain Health told the Sun that it takes all necessary steps to ensure the Brandon ER remains open and staffed 24-7.

“It will be open 24-7 this weekend,” PMH CEO Treena Slate said.

“Our teams prioritize patient care and work proactively to manage summer holiday schedules and leaves while maintaining service levels,” Slate said.

“Often, physicians are encouraged to pick up shifts to ensure each shift is well staffed. These are anticipated pressures that PMH prepares for each year.”

It was distressing for Doctors Manitoba to hear that the second-biggest ER in the province had significant gaps in physician coverage this weekend, a spokesperson for physicians’ advocacy group told the Sun.

BRHC’s emergency department should have six physician shifts per day, designed to ensure double physician coverage on a 24-7 basis.

“Doctors Manitoba is very concerned about the high degree of distress and burnout among the Brandon ER physician team, due to sustained chronic high vacancy rates,” the spokesperson said.

“While we appreciate the last ditch urgent scrambling to cover the numerous vacant shifts, we are concerned about the overall sustainability of ER physician coverage in Brandon and the serious impact to patient wait times when this busy ER is down to single physician coverage on a repeated basis.”

Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said that 201 net new doctors have been hired in the province since the NDP formed government.

Since April, 53 physicians have been working in the PMH region and three of those are emergency department physicians in Brandon.

When asked about the email sent to PMH physicians, Asagwara said sending urgent communications is an approach that’s taken when there’s unexpected staffing changes and vacant shifts need to be filled.

“We look forward to the time and the day when those sort of urgent memos don’t need to be sent out to staff, but we also see that we’re making progress,” Asagwara said in a phone interview.

“Of course, there’s much more work that needs to be done, but I’m really grateful that we are able to do that work with our partners by listening to doctors, working directly with them, so that we can retain, recruit and train more physicians in Brandon and in Westman.

Asagwara pointed out the government’s July announcement of doubling the size of its medical training program in Brandon, by adding 10 new seats to train doctors. And making it possible for doctors to have privileges across regional health authorities making it easier to practice in rural hospitals.

“We were left a huge health-care mess, and it takes time to fix that level of damage, and our priority is doing this work, not only for the short term, but for the long term, because it’s what Manitobans deserve,” Asagwara said.

It has been almost two years since the NDP were elected, and health care has gotten worse, said Manitoba Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan.

“They need to stop the blame game and start putting Manitobans first,” he said in a phone interview with the Sun.

“It is very concerning,” Khan said, adding, “I’m very worried for the people living in this region and the doctors who are being are facing burnout and being overworked.

“Health care is worse, wait times are longer. They can point the finger all they want. I think the reality is they need to look in the mirror and point the finger at themselves.”

The president of Doctors Manitoba warned about gaps in physician coverage in rural areas two months ago. Neepawa physician Dr. Nichelle Desilets reminded people to be aware of unstable emergency room hours of operation this summer.

Prairie Mountain Health has 33 hospitals, but only seven have ERs that are reliably open 24-7. They are Brandon, Dauphin, Killarney, Neepawa, Russell, Swan River and Virden.

The schedules for all health-care facility emergency rooms within PMH are posted on the health region’s website.

This weekend, there will be no ER services available in Boissevain, Glenboro, Grandview, Hamiota or Treherne.

Minnedosa’s ER is open 24-7 on Saturday and Sunday.

Four communities will be open on Saturday and Sunday with hours that range from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. They are Carberry, Deloraine, Roblin, Souris and Ste. Rose.

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