Skip to main content

Judy Klassen calls for an Inquiry into the treatment of Melodie Harper by Manitoba's health care system.

Judy Klassen Liberal MLA for Kewatinook raised concerns about the health care for Melodie Harper in Question Period on Wednesday June 6.   Her questions, including her call for an inquiry, are below along with the Minister's response (from Hansard). 

 Health-Care Case Concern - Request for Meeting with Minister

Ms. Judy Klassen (Kewatinook): Melodie Harper is a 39-year-old mother to a beautiful 7-year-old baby girl, yet Melodie is unable to enjoy precious time with her daughter because of the appalling treatment she has received from numerous hospital visits and surgeries here in Winnipeg.
      Sadly, Melodie was again admitted to a hospital last month, where during her stay she went into cardiac arrest. It was a frightening situation for her husband, as he had to perform CPR on her three times before hospital staff came to Melodie's aid.
      Melodie has suffered enough.   Will the minister commit to meeting with me today to discuss Melodie's situation?

Hon. Heather Stefanson (Acting Minister of Health Seniors and Active Living): I thank the member for the question.  We don't typically discuss individual cases on the floor of the Chamber, but if the member opposite would like to get me the information we can certainly have the minister look into it.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Kewatinook, on a supplementary question.

Indigenous Health Care - Patient Advocacy Supports


Ms. Judy Klassen (Kewatinook): Melodie arrived by medevac again on Monday after two whole weeks of intolerable pain. Upon arrival, she was forced to endure a further 26 hours of excruciating pain before hospital staff would finally listen to her pleas for help.
      She was finally able to get sleep in four short hours of pain reprieve. I was with her for the past couple of days, trying to ensure that she and her husband were truly listened to by medical staff.
      Minister, of the number of admissions to hospitals, what per cent of those are indigenous patients, and what are the systems of support currently in place for those who do not know how to advocate for themselves?

Hon. Heather Stefanson  (Acting Minister of Health Seniors and Active Living): I have already undertaken to look into the specifics of the case that the member opposite is alluding to today, and so we will endeavour to do that.
Madam Speaker: The honourable member for Kewatinook, on a final supplementary.

 Health-Care Case Concern - Call for Inquiry

Ms. Judy Klassen (Kewatinook): I do not want this minister to wait for another tragedy. I want an inquiry called to investigate Melodie's situation when it comes to navigating within the health‑care system. I want it called today because she is still with us. I want her pain, her frustration, her strong, determined spirit and especially her voice to be heard and recorded so that we may learn and never repeat what has happened to her.
      Will the Minister of Health call for an inquiry into Melodie Harper's situation today so that my people don't have to face another post-mortem Brian Sinclair inquiry?

Hon. Heather Stefanson (Acting Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living): We will undertake to get the answers to the member on this specific case.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dougald Lamont speaks at Meth Forum last night to present positive ideas to address the epidemic, while exposing the lack of action by the Pallister Conservatives

Last night at the Notre Dame Recreation Centre in St. Boniface, at an Election Forum on the Meth Crisis in Manitoba, Dougald Lamont spoke eloquently about the severity of the meth epidemic and described the Liberal plan to address it.  The Liberal Plan will make sure that there is a single province-wide phone number for people, or friends of people, who need help dealing with meth to call (as there is in Alberta) and that there will be rapid access to a seamless series of steps - stabilization, detoxification, treatment, extended supportive housing etc so that people with meth addiction can be helped well and effectively and so that they can rebuild their lives.  The Liberal meth plan will be helped by our approach to mental health (putting psychological therapies under medicare), and to poverty (providing better support).  It will also be helped by our vigorous efforts to help young people understand the problems with meth in our education system and to provide alternative positive
3 comments
Read more

Manitoba Liberal accomplishments

  Examples of Manitoba Liberal accomplishments in the last three years Ensured that 2,000 Manitoba fishers were able to earn a living in 2020   (To see the full story click on this link ). Introduced a bill that includes retired teachers on the Pension Investment Board which governs their pension investments. Introduced amendments to ensure school aged children are included in childcare and early childhood education plans moving forward. Called for improvements in the management of the COVID pandemic: ·          We called for attention to personal care homes even before there was a single case in a personal care home. ·            We called for a rapid response team to address outbreaks in personal care homes months before the PCs acted.  ·          We called for a science-based approach to preparing schools to   improve ventilation and humidity long before the PCs acted. Helped hundreds of individuals with issues during the pandemic including those on social assistance
Post a Comment
Read more

The Indigenous Science Conference in Winnipeg June 14-16

  June 14 to 16, I spent three days at the Turtle Island Indigenous Science Conference.  It was very worthwhile.   Speaker after speaker talked of the benefits of using both western or mainstream science and Indigenous science.  There is much we can learn from both approaches.   With me above is Myrle Ballard, one of the principal organizers of the conference.  Myrle Ballard, from Lake St. Martin in Manitoba, worked closely with Roger Dube a professor emeritus at Rochester Institute of Technology, and many others to make this conference, the first of its kind, a success.  As Roger Dube, Mohawk and Abenaki, a physicist, commented "My feeling is that the fusion of traditional ecological knowledge and Western science methodology should rapidly lead the researchers to much more holistic solutions to problems."   Dr. Myrle Ballard was the first person from her community to get a PhD.  She is currently a professor at the University of Manitoba and the Director of Indigenous Science
Post a Comment
Read more