PCs call for inquiry into patient deaths

The Progressive Conservatives are calling for an independent public inquiry into the deaths of three patients awaiting medical care.

“Manitobans are scared,” PC health critic Kathleen Cook said during question period Monday. “People are dying waiting for care.”

She cited three examples of patients who died in hospital: Debbie Fewster, 69, died Oct. 13, 2024 while waiting for cardiac surgery; Chad Giffin, 49, died in the emergency room waiting for care at Health Sciences Centre on Jan. 7; and Genevieve Price, 82, died Nov. 22 waiting for care at Grace Hospital.

Despite promising to fix health care, it is worse under the NDP government and Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara, Cook said in the chamber.

“It’s been two years of empty promises and grandstanding from this minister and no action,” the member for Roblin said.

“Why has this minister refused to be accountable for their failures and refused to conduct an independent public inquiry?”

Asagwara said the government is all about accountability and that’s why “we continue to show up to listen to the front lines, meet with unions, meet with experts and do the work that wasn’t done for seven-and-a-half years.”

The health minister said the previous PC government closed ERs, fired hundreds of nurses and was “hell-bent on cutting as much of health care as you possibly can in the public system.”

Asagwara said the system will take time to fix.

Cook said that’s no comfort to Manitobans who are “scared” when they hear about what happened to Price, the mother of a Winnipeg nurse who died after reportedly waiting more than 30 hours at the Grace ER.

“She did everything right,” Cook said. “She had an expert advocating for her and she was still left on a stretcher for 30 hours under this NDP government. Now, she won’t be here to celebrate Christmas with her family.”

On Monday afternoon, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority reported ER waits of 12 hours at Grace Hospital, 11.25 hours at St. Boniface Hospital, and 7.75 hours at HSC.

Two Manitoba hospitals have been grey-listed by nurses in recent months, a signal to others that HSC and the Thompson General Hospital aren’t safe places to work, the PC health critic said.

“They have no plan to reduce wait times,” Cook said. “How many more tragedies are Manitobans going to suffer before this minister finally takes real action?”

A critical incident review is being held into Price’s death as well as a secondary investigation led by the health minister.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca