Manitoba Is Facing One Of the Biggest Problems A Province Can Face: Medical Staff Shortage

Since the start of the Covid pandemic, Manitoba has been facing a shortage in medical staff, and recently the medical staff shortage has gone quite extreme. In rural areas and the biggest hospital in Manitoba, the province needs more medical staff members because the current shortage is causing a closing of many emergency rooms. 

Since there is a vast staff shortage, pressure is on working nurses, and many nurses, if not all, are being asked to work overtime during weekends and throughout the day. This shortage has made Manitoba’s largest hospital, HSC Winnipeg, close to half of its emergency beds, which is very rare and problematic. Moreover, the emergency department physician, Dr. Doug Eyolfson, commented, “I’ve been practising for over 20 years. I’ve never seen it. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time this has happened in Winnipeg, to have closures of this magnitude and to have that many beds closed due to lack of staff.”

Fortunately, the emergency department in the HSC Winnipeg hospital has not been closed like the emergency rooms in the rural areas in Manitoba. Many citizens living in these areas have noticed the decrease in staff members over the years, but this year it has reached a deficient number that won’t be functional anymore, “I’m really angry, angry at everything. I don’t think enough thought went into this, I’m not angry at nurses. They need time off too.” said a citizen commenting on this topic after one of her family members had to go to another hospital that is forty-five minutes away because of the staff shortage in the hospital near her. 

The Manitoba Chambers has realized the problem and is taking some actions to help with this staff shortage crisis hitting Manitoba. “Our members told us in a recent survey that health care system recovery and investment is their top concern because accessible, reliable, and efficient care enables Manitobans to flourish wherever they reside while ensuring the region is attractive to potential new residents and investment. There is a demonstrated direct correlation between a community’s level of physician care and that community’s economic potential and long-term sustainability. Manitoba’s ability to recruit and retain more doctors will be an important contributor to our future economy.” said the president of The Manitoba Chambers, Chuck Davidson. Therefore, Manitobans are hoping for this problem to be solved soon because all need to get the needed healthcare. 

Sources:

• https://doctorsmanitoba.ca/managing-your-practice/weekly-member-message/member-message-august-19-2022
• https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/i-m-really-angry-staff-shortages-temporarily-closing-some-rural-manitoba-emergency-rooms-1.5972196
• https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/health-sciences-centre-staffing-winnipeg-1.6558477

– Halla Alhamed, U Multicultural

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of U Multicultural.

could