'Northern Manitoba deserves better,' chief says, as two hospitals temporarily close
Northern Manitoba has a nursing vacancy rate of 25.2 per cent, but some hospitals have worse numbers
Two northern Manitoba hospitals are closing for several days in light of ongoing, persistent staffing issues, but people who live in the area are calling attention to the longstanding health-care inequities.
On Monday, the Northern Regional Health Authority (NRHA) announced it's closing the Leaf Rapids Health Centre until Jan. 10 and all clinical care will go through Lynn Lake or Thompson.
It's the second time the hospital closed during the pandemic because of staffing problems.
On Tuesday, the authority announced the Gillam Hospital will be closed until Jan. 5, although the primary care clinic will be open on Thursday and Friday. All other care will be directed to Thompson.
The announcement is unacceptable to Chief Morris Beardy, who leads Fox Lake Cree Nation near Gillam.
"Gillam is a three-hour drive away from the next nearest hospital in Thompson. The airport does not have the facilities to stage an air ambulance, and community members are worried about having to wait for an air ambulance to fly in from Thompson should someone need life-saving care," he said in a statement on Wednesday.
"There needs to be immediate action to solve this, and a long-term solution to this crisis."
The news is also disheartening to Dennis Anderson, 59, who lives in Leaf Rapids, about 750 km north of Winnipeg.
His mom, Minnie, suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is a breast cancer survivor. She often finds herself in need of an oxygen machine or a blood pressure check at the local clinic.
Dennis, a member of the nearby Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, says she's currently in the capital for appointments and thinks she should stay put until the hospital opens back up.
"If something happens, you know, like she's 82 years old. She's got mobility issues and multiple health issues. And I don't think it would be safe for her to be in the community at this time with health care," he said.
Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin said the closures are, in part, due to the ongoing strain of the pandemic and the highly transmissible variant, Omicron.
"We have increasing demands on the health-care system for various reasons, but most notably because of Omicron. And then what we know is just as we're seeing increased number of cases, well, part of those increased cases include health-care workers. And so that puts extra strain on the on the staffing," he said.
"It is a challenge. It is why we've put in more measures. It's why we're asking Manitobans to do what they can to reduce their contacts. That's why we're pleaded with Manitobans to get vaccinated as soon as they become eligible for another dose."
Before Omicron was detected in the province, there were nursing shortages in northern Manitoba.
There were 109 open positions for nurses in the Northern Health Region as of Nov. 1, according to the health authority — a vacancy rate of 25.2 per cent. Some hospitals have an even more staggering vacancy rate, like Gillam at 54 per cent and Lynn Lake, which is nearly 80 per cent, the health region says.
In the south, the rate is lower.
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority reported a 17.3 per cent vacancy rate for nurses as of October, while the rate in the Southern Health Region was 21.2 per cent as of the end of September, according to documents obtained by the Opposition NDP.
But Anderson says inadequate health care has existed in the north long before the pandemic.
"Why does it always have to be someone on the local level stirring the pot just to get some attention to these ongoing issues? And they are ongoing, it's not only since COVID. This has been going on for many years."
Beardy echoes his concerns.
"We have been raising our concerns with the NRHA and the minister of Health about this impending crisis for months. We have written several letters and met with the minister in October," he said.
"Northern Manitoba deserves better. The Government of Manitoba has known about this and did nothing to prepare, that is what is most troubling."
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