Discussions

On a Wednesday afternoon at 4 pm both sides of the emergency waiting rooms are packed. 8-10 hour wait times to see a doctor. Honestly you could die waiting. How did it get so bad and what will it take to ever fix it? Doctors and nurses are scrambling to try and help but they are overwhelmed.

Unfortunately this is not uncommon, Brandon ER is often over capacity. It would take a miracle to fix at this point

Not to mention there ended up being a full scale fist fight in front of all these people waiting. Where are all our political representatives on these issues? Pretty sure this mess will not fix itself. Something you’d expect to see in a Third World country maybe but not here. Unbelievable! I can’t imagine working there.

Are multifaceted. First and foremost, it is a provincial issue, not just relegated to Westman. For years, mismanagement by incompetent administration of provincial "leaders" stripped care programs of staff and staffing budgets in an attempt to "modernize" and streamline services.  
 
Another factor is the typical Manitoba mindset that everything that happens, only has to happen in reaction to something way after the fact, instead of before or during the problem. Guess what? Being proactive would have solved a lot of these issues instead of letting them happen.  
 
How much has the local population increased over the past decade? Stats are put out every year showing increase in population, and stats in relevant hospital care needed. But has anyone in leadership shown the bravado to stand up to provincial leadership and said they need to formulate, improve, and initiate current care standards and staffing levels to keep up to demand before it's too late? No, of course not. Bullying by the previous administration lead to people being afraid of doing what is right, in order to balance the budget, and federal transfer paymements weren't spent properly.  
 
So basically, a lot of issues come down to bad budget foresight and horrible direction from those in charge of our province.  
 
Another issue is that generally speaking, a problem doesn't become a problem until someone has to actively see it or become involved in it. Very few in society really knows the horrors that go on behind the scenes in health care until they, or a loved one have to face the reality of it. No one knows about how strokes, heart attacks, and many other diseases are on the rise, and cause a backlog in the system that has limited staff and resources. No one knows how to budget in order to help care for aging parents. No one wants to acknowledge or prepare for the very obvious fact that our population is facing a "seniors boom" as they age out, and care needs are on the rise. (Don't believe me that we aren't prepared for this? Go ahead and ask yourelf when the last time a provincially run care home was built locally in order to look after elderly admissions, or even when the last time one was planned?) Wait times are increasing, and atrocious.  
 
No one knows about the mainstream drug abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse that all happens in society, and the people that are affected and long term help needed as a result of it, because society chooses to ignore the reality of all of these issues until it affects them.  
 
The health care system is in crisis because of a variety of reasons, and because of that, staff are overworked, facing traumatic episodes of repetitive depression, and are either leaving to go elsewhere because of the cost of living, or retiring because they have gone through so much struggle shouldering abuse, and the burden of trying to keep a broken system afloat on their own.  
 
Can the system be fixed? Sure. Federally, the government has taken aim at trying to fix and improve of certain deficiencies that have been ignored for years. But provincially,it will take more than just making promises and giving projections. It will take proper commitment, management, administration, and transparency, which unfortunately, are concepts very few people in health care fully trust anymore because of what has happened to them over the years.  
 
Only time will tell how this all plays out, but it will definitely be a struggle and a hard reality we will all have to face in the meantime.  
 
Edited by Mr B, 2023-11-09 12:56:01

My thoughts always go to who is sticking out in these jobs. I’ve worked as a supervisor for the hospital, and I can tell you that staff is WAY WAY underpaid…. And my opinion, unlike the hospitals neighbours who went on strike for 3 months ( this will always rub me the wrong way), I am taking a swing in saying this, but majority know the consequences of them going on strike… it’s innocent peoples lives that will suffer….. there is NO WAY a supervisor in ANY hospital department should get paid LESS than a liquor mart cashier!!!!! There is no reason that hospital staff get paid so little money…. But insurance business get topped out…. I’ve seen soooo many good people leave because it just doesn’t make sense…. Raise the wage, keep the staff you have and make it enticing for others to join in…. The next nurse you talk to, ask them the last time they or someone they know has been mandated to work extra?…. WHY??? I left that workforce and am much more comfortable now wage wise. I’ve studied in university AND college for the field of study in the hospital- so education is NOT the problem for me… and I still make more money in another field than I ever did in the hospital.  
 
With the INSANE taxes Canada steals from its citizens, there is NO WAY our hospital workers should get paid so little…. Fix that first and foremost IMO

I will also add, that with my friends son who was brought to the hospital a number of weeks ago, they took him back pretty quick… like within 10 minutes….and then got doctors, surgeons and a huge nursing staff around the bed within seconds when he vomited blood… So I won’t throw staff under the bus, they are there when you are dying…. If you aren’t, then emergency you may not be having…

Part of the delay in Emerg is that new computer charting system. The RHA even had an announcement about it this morning.

Lone stars comments paint a very realistic picture of what’s going on and I hope it enlightens more of the general public but who’s gonna grab the bull by the horns and fix it even if it’s little by little? Clearly, it wasn’t the Conservatives. Maybe Mr.Kinew will give it some hope? Right now it’s all unacceptable.

This is sadly not just a province wide problem but a nation wide problem. Everyone is suffering. COVID did a number on many doctors as well. Many staff members and doctors burned out and finally walked away. Doctors here in town are having to take shifts as hospitalist on top of their normal schedule. Unless we can find more doctors, staff and whatever else it's not going to get fixed anywhere.  
 
That said the hospital here is implementing a new system which will make wait timesgo up. I will post pictures of what PMH posted today.

If you're waiting 8-10 hours in emerg it's because it's not life threatening.

The single biggest chunk of the Manitoba spending budget is healthcare. 35% or 7.6 BILLION per year. It's a monster with an insatiable appetite. I suspect the government continually keeps healthcare under funded as a way to force it to be more efficient. It worries me especially with our aging population with boomers large numbers. I don't know how much longer we can afford it.

When a person has had a stroke that severely impacts their vision, tell me how it’s okay for this person to sit in a wheelchair for 13 hours with no food or water, and unable to get up to use the restroom because they’re dizzy and the staff gives them an orange juice because ‘it’s their diabetes acting up’. It’s disgusting

I'm reposting an image because it got buried in another reply. If you are having a life-threatening emergency, you will be seen. They list what is considered life-threatening below.  
 
The problem is probably being exasperated by a lack of walk-in clinics. They are very busy and sometimes turn people away, and there are no after-hours options in Brandon. Lots of people don't know about Q-Doc. It's a 24-hour virtual walk-in clinic. Sometimes the wait is lengthy, but you can wait at home and the system texts you when a doc is available for video chat. I have used it many times for my kids. I used it just yesterday for my kid who has an ear infection. You can't use it for everything, but even if it helps some people, it relieves that bit of pressure from the system.

CS nailed it. It is a nation-wide situation. No health care professionals available & no funds. Aging boomers are also requiring more medical care.

if you really want to fix the speed of wait times in the ER, doctors need to be the ones Triaging the patients that are coming in.  
 
I remember reading about this in a hospital when staff went on strike and it was doctors who needed to cover admitting patients and basically the doctor could say no you aren't emergent you can wait go see a walk in tomorrow etc.  
 
Also what about an urgent care center in Brandon, I previously worked in the hospital and I can say for certain there is lots of people you use Emerge when they don't need to, Not saying that was the case recently but it def something that happens.

The main reason the ER is so busy is because we can’t keep walk in clinics and we are short staffed at the hospital. How do you expect to keep an urgent care? Also - the doctors are already over worked and now you want them to also triage? Doctors aren’t the ones who run the hospitals here - they can’t send someone away without doing something, just like the nurses can’t. Nurse’s have enough education and experience to be able to tell if a patient needs emerg or not lol.

I sat in the waiting room for over 6 hours after my appendix burst and was already becoming infected. Staff were well aware of this situation from my tests but still I sat, and sat, and sat. There were a few people who came to me and said they would give me their spot if they could.  
 
I waited another 14 hours to get a CAT scan and yet another 8 hour wait for surgery. Sorry but this was a priority one case who was treated as a walk-in clinic case. And before you beak it up, I have since been told by two specialists with access to my records that I came very close to dying and was extremely fortunate the wait wasn't any longer.

The problem is we already have barely any doctors not even enough to take care of the population we have so to take up their time triaging would not be in the best interest of anyone in the end even though it probably would get less people using it for nothing! We have a huge problem of people using the ER when it’s not needed and they could go to walk in. If you’re urgently needing help you will get it they will not leave you in the waiting room if you’re serious condition or dying, they try to get you in in a timely manner but what do you expect them to do if they have no beds? Put you on the floor in the back, some people expect to much forgetting we don’t have the beds or staff to manage it. As for the urgent care they were talking about opening one up in the new building but they have no staff to work it etc so they kind of have gottten rid of that idea for now but hopefully soon. The problem is the hospital is already struggling for all staff on all floors, there’s only so much they can do.

Anyone go through the careers list for just brandon ? Everywhere is short, nurses physicians health care aides, people who sterilize the equipment between uses. The wait times are only going to get worse and the physicians are burnt out and getting worse with the new systems

do you know apparently lol this is a most definite incorrect statement

you do not* know

Unfortunately I had to go there again today. Same as before both waiting rooms packed with some people who had tremendous mental issues. After 4 and a half hours I gave up. I will go to a rural hospital tomorrow.

So you went to the emerg for none urgent care on a week day? Why not go to a regular walk in especially if your going to travel to a different one tomorrow. Also there’s maybe one actual psych doctor in brandon so it doesn’t surprise me if the emerg is packed with people in distress that way.

Non urgent? I fell on ice and split my head open. Now I have ringing in my ears and dizziness. Most likely a concussion but who knows for sure. 14 stitches later I am doing just fine thanks. There are other places that can look after you.  
BGH wait times will never get resolved the way things are now. I would be in favour of paying a yearly deductible if it meant that it could solve some of these  
issues.

So I guess my question is Why couldn’t you go to a doctor office ( they all still have walk in services) do they not. A physician would be able to help you with this at the office. I can see going in initially but now……

I have a friend in Northern BC who called to book an appointment with her family physician. They are booking appointments into January. She was told to go to a walk in clinic or emergency if it was bad enough. It's sad when you can't even see your own doctor for months! ER's in small communites are often seeing their departments closing for a night or a weekend due to staffing issues. Our population is growing at a rate faster than our medical education system can pump out doctors.

Your point about the education system not being able to pump out enough doctors isn't quite right.  
 
One of the complexities of Canada's medical system is that doctors can really only be paid by the government. As a result, governments in Canada tend to look at how many doctors they can afford to pay and then intentionally limit the number of spots in medical schools to avoid having more doctors than funding, and to ensure they don't have to suffer the embarrassment of unemployed doctors.  
 
It's great for everyone including politicians to say there aren't enough doctors. But in the Canadian model not enough doctors and not enough political will (and by extension not enough funding) are closely linked.  
 
If it was as simple as medical schools not being able to graduate enough doctors, then the question would be why don't we open more spaces in our medical schools and make it easier for foreign-trained doctors to come work here?  
 
More doctors costs more money. Limiting supply limits costs.  
 
There's a good national post article that delves into this issue titled "Why Canada intentionally limits its supply of doctors". It's worth a read. You can find it via Google.  
 
Also a good CBC article titled "Canada is short of doctors — and it's turning away hundreds of its own physicians each year".  
 
Now that you know, ask a politician why the hell this is happening.  
 
Edited by JosephC, 2023-11-14 19:58:34

The Premier has promised to hire 200 more paramedics, 300 more nurses, and 400 more doctors. So in about 10-12 years thing will start to look better.

When i had appendicitis I went to walk-in first. the Dr. then wrote a note for me to give to the emergency nurse as it was really an emergency. I still waited over 6 hours in the waiting room. they gave me some pain medication while I waited.. but then they wanted to send me home, I said no.. turns out my appendix had burst while I was waiting. Thankfully my GP was there by coincidence and insisted that something was wrong. I never found out about the burst appendix until the morning after the surgery.  
 
This is no the first time I have been rejected by the ER.