Tories slam NDP for lack of surgeon in Brandon
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BRANDON — The NDP government was grilled Thursday over the lack of a surgeon for a full day at the Brandon Regional Health Centre.
The hospital was scheduled to go without a surgeon between 8 a.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. Friday. The closest emergency rooms with surgeons are in Dauphin and Winnipeg, both roughly two hours away.
“It’s very, very terrifying times for not only the residents of Brandon West, but Brandon East, Spruce Woods and the hundreds of communities that Brandon Regional Health Centre … serves,” Progressive Conservative MLA Wayne Balcaen said in an interview.
TIM SMITH / THE BRANDON SUN FILES
Brandon West MLA Wayne Balcaen
The matter was raised by the MLA for Brandon West along with PC health critic Kathleen Cook in question period on Thursday.
“Patients who need surgery will either be forced to wait up to 24 hours, travel to Dauphin if Dauphin has capacity or travel to Winnipeg,” Cook said. “How could the (health) minister have failed to see this coming, and how could they have failed to take action to prevent it?”
Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the Tories should blame themselves.
“We’re doing more surgeries now in Manitoba than we ever have before. And why is that? It’s because we’re investing right here in our own capacity,” Asagwara said.
“The PC record on health care is abysmal.”
Prairie Mountain Health confirmed the closure Thursday.
“Brandon Regional Health Centre is currently experiencing reduced staffing in one of the surgical programming areas,” Dr. Adrian Fung, vice-president of medical services and chief medical officer of Prairie Mountain Health, said in a statement.
“Ensuring access to medical services and care remains our top priority, and we encourage clients to continue to attend BRHC. Prairie Mountain Health is working together with Shared Health to ensure safe and appropriate care is provided to patients.”
Balcaen said he’s concerned for people in Brandon, such as his family and front-line workers. He said the NDP has “missed the ball” when it comes to general surgery.
In the legislature, Balcaen asked NDP Brandon East MLA Glen Simard to join him in asking for better care from his party. Although Balcaen addressed his questions to Simard three times, Asagwara was the one who answered.
— Brandon Sun