Skip to main content

Is the government going to make adjustments to shorten the progressively longer wait times in Winnipeg's Emergency Rooms?

On Thursday March 17, I asked the Minister of Health to tell us the adjustments which are being made to shorten the lengthening wait times in Winnipeg’s hospital Emergency Rooms.

Increase in ER Wait Times - Request for Reduction Plan

Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Mr. Deputy Speaker, on October 2017, the Conservatives began imple­men­ting hospital transformation to reduce pa­tient wait times. Then the longest wait most patients could expect at the Health Sciences Centre emergency room was 3.6 hours.

      The plan was to dramatically reduce wait times, but instead it dramatically lengthened them. By January last year, 2021, the wait time had increased to 6.4 hours and this January to 9.5 hours. Similar increases have occurred at Grace and St. Boniface emergency rooms.

      Wait times are going in the wrong direction.

      What adjustments are the gov­ern­ment making to address the dismal failure of its efforts during the last five years?

Hon. Audrey Gordon (Minister of Health): Deputy Speaker, NDP, members opposite: staffing shortages and the highest wait times in the country is the reason why our gov­ern­ment undertook system- health-care transformation.

      The member for River Heights is forgetting that we have just gone through, as a province, a very dif­ficult time, two years of a pandemic. He's forgotten that. Maybe that's a good thing.  Mr. Deputy Speaker, Manitobans can recover from the pandemic. We will do it in a com­pas­sion­ate and under­standing way. We will lead the province into a brighter and more prosperous future, and I invite the member from River Heights to join us in that future.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Being able to participate matters - Let’s build a more inclusive, accessible Manitoba

Too often, our homes, buildings, and outdoor spaces are designed without sufficient consideration given to how they will impact little people, those with large bodies, or those with disabilities.  Manitoba should become a leader in designing and building new structures so they’re comfortable and accessible to all.  Further, the province needs to do more to adapt our existing infrastructure, so that it meets everyone’s needs.   The design of our built environment makes daily living a challenge for too many.  A friend, who uses a wheelchair, must call ahead wherever she goes to ensure she can enter a restaurant, store, salon, etc. A young person in River Heights has a struggle each fall to make sure that with his cerebral palsy he is able to get the support he needs to do well in school.  A large-bodied man I know has been bedridden for five months because he lacks access to a usable lift or wheelchair.  Samantha Trubyk, President of the Little People ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Comparison between Manitoba and South Dakota shows dramatic impact of Physical Distancing

Manitoba implemented physical distancing measures in mid-March.  South Dakota has still not made physical distancing mandatory.   The result is a dramatic difference in the incidence of covid-19 viral infections between the two jurisdictions.   This graph shows the number of people with Covid-19 infections from March 27 to April 14.  Manitoba ( red line )  started leveling off about April 4 and has seen only a small increase in Covid-19 infections since then.   South Dakota ( blue line )   has seen a dramatic increase in Covid-19 infections since April 4.  Those who are skeptical of the impact of physical distancing in Manitoba should look at this graph! Data are from the Johns Hopkins daily tabulations
18 comments
Read more

Debating the importance of the french language, education in french and french services in Manitoba

Thursday, May 17, we had a debate on a resolution on french language education and french language services in the Manitoba.   The debate arose because the Pallister government has made major cutbacks in french language education.  In part these cuts have reduced the status and funding for   le Bureau de l'éducation française which is the division of the Department of Education which deals with education in french.   Several items are notable:  The Pallister Conservatives block a motion to have the normal full hour of debate.   Hon. Jon  Gerrard  (River Heights):  I have a question. Before I ask it, this is a pretty important subject and I'd like to have leave to make sure that we have a full hour of debate, and so the debate would go 'til about 12:15. Mr. Deputy Speaker:  Has there been leave to go to 12:15? An Honourable Member:  Agreed. An Honourable Member:  No. Mr. Deputy Speaker:  N...
6 comments
Read more