In Manitoba we are fortunate to have caring and professional medical staff in our hospitals, clinics and other healthcare centres. The biggest challenge we face however is that after 14 years of NDP government, we just don’t have enough of these healthcare professionals.
As a result of a shortage of doctors, nurses, specialists and medical technicians, healthcare in many parts of Manitoba can be spotty, confusing and potentially deadly. One of the places the stress is felt most directly is in Manitoba emergency rooms(ERs). Many Manitobans have waited for hours for care at an emergency room so they know very directly the result of a lack of doctors and nurses. In fact the NDP have lost a record number of doctors to other provinces since coming to office.
The long waiting times at emergency rooms has its most direct impact on patients. Manitobans can wait for hours to be seen even when they have significant medical needs. Patients aren’t the only ones waiting. Paramedics often wait with their patients for long periods of time before the patient under their care is seen in an emergency room and as a result an ambulance is taken off of call. That has resulted in situations in areas throughout the province, including in Winnipeg, where there are no ambulances available for periods of time.
In many rural Manitoba communities their emergency rooms have been closed, some for years. In other areas the ERs are open but there is no doctor available on staff. The NDP Minister of Health advised the Manitoba Legislature this month that in these communities residents can go to the ER and if it is an emergency that requires a doctor, staff will call 911 and an ambulance will come and take the patient someplace else. Manitobans who go to an ER do so because they expect to receive care, not to have someone help them dial 911.
As a result of the lack of ER doctors and the dangerous wait times, the NDP government announced with much fanfare (they are good at fanfare) the opening of QuickCare clinics which were to be staffed by nurse practitioners and used for non-emergency care. In fact the NDP spent $150,000 on advertising (they are also good at advertising) these QuickCare clinics.
However, as is often the case with the NDP, the reality doesn’t live up to the announcement. It turns out that not only is there a critical shortage of doctors in Manitoba, there is also a shortage of nurse practitioners. And as a result the QuickCare clinics in different communities (including Steinbach) are often closed or without a nurse practitioner on staff. That’s not quite what was advertised when the QuickCare clinics were announced.
The list of closed emergency rooms, ER’s without doctors, long wait times, ambulances that are out of service and QuickCare clinics that are either closed or understaffed leave many Manitobans with inconsistent care or no care at all. And that is not what the NDP promised to deliver to Manitobans.
