‘It could look like a wartime situation’ Anesthesiologist at Grace, WRHA intensive-care physician say hospitals in critical condition, plead for Manitobans to heed public-health orders By: Julia-Simone Rutgers Posted: 7:00 PM CST Monday, Nov. 16, 2020

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This article was published 16/11/2020 (1805 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg anesthesiologist and an intensive-care doctor are pleading with Manitobans to stay home and adhere to provincial health orders before hospital capacities are overrun.

Renate Singh, an anesthesiologist at Grace Hospital in Winnipeg posted to her Facebook page Sunday, showing a converted post-operative recovery room being prepped to use for surge ICU capacity.

COVID-19 case counts have jumped significantly over the past two weeks and hospitals in the province are doing similar surge planning in anticipation of an influx of patients needing critical care.

“Walls have been built, sealing off the main OR from what was once our recovery room. At the time of this photo, the equipment was being moved in. By next week this space will be filled with critical patients with COVID 19. When this space fills up, we will have few choices around where we can put (COVID) patients requiring isolation beds,” she wrote.

In an interview Monday, Singh said a large anti-mask rally held Saturday in Steinbach, where “the hospital is absolutely swimming in COVID and cannot keep up” and the exponentially growing number of cases overall prompted her to post the message.

“I’m seeing our resources being challenged to the max, I’m seeing co-workers that are exhausted, I’m seeing surgical nurses that are being floated to medical wards that have huge anxieties around that, I’m seeing emergency departments that are full… and holding on to patients that should be in ICU beds that don’t have ICU beds available immediately,” she said.

“Even though the system is working very very hard to increase capacity, eventually capacity becomes extinguished.”

At Steinbach’s Bethesda Regional Health Centre, doctors have warned that capacity is already maxed out. An open letter signed by all of that city’s doctors, published in Steinbach Online Monday, called the current situation “dire.”

“By next week this space will be filled with critical patients with COVID 19. When this space fills up, we will have few choices around where we can put (COVID) patients requiring isolation beds.”
– Facebook post by Renate Singh, an anesthesiologist at Grace Hospital

“As we write this there is an overflowing COVID-19 ward and our Emergency is straining under unsustainable numbers of critically ill COVID-19 patients. Many patients have been transferred to ICU in Winnipeg. Some have died. This is in addition to the ongoing care of (personal-care home) residents, cancer, surgical and obstetrical patients and other admissions for medical illnesses,” the doctors wrote.

Dr. Anand Kumar, an intensive-care physician with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and professor of medicine at the University of Manitoba, doubled down on Singh’s message in an interview with the Free Press Monday, saying the province’s health-care capacity is flexible, but can stretch only so far.

“I think we’re extremely stressed, I think we’re closer than people realize to overload and to a triage scenario,” Kumar said.

“A week to two weeks from now I’m concerned that we’re going to be clearly past our capacity.”

At the current rate of growth of new COVID cases, the system is close to exhausting its resources, especially respiratory therapists and critical-care nurses, Singh said.

“Don’t just do what the rules require; do more than that if you care about your neighbours and friends and your family,” Kumar said. “People don’t realize how bad this could get — it could look like a wartime situation.”

Singh said she’s observed suspicion towards public-health messaging — and contradictions within the messaging itself — but believes Manitobans should be made compassionately and kindly aware of the severity of Manitoba’s current situation and stay home whenever possible.

“With apologies from our profession for the confusing messaging, we need their support and understanding,” she said. “We are part of a system that will collapse under the burden of this illness if people don’t stay away from each other: there’s only one assured way to slow down the transmission of the virus and that is if people actually do stay away from each other.”

julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jsrutgers

Julia-Simone Rutgers
Reporter

Julia-Simone Rutgers is a climate reporter with a focus on environmental issues in Manitoba. Her position is part of a three-year partnership between the Winnipeg Free Press and The Narwhal, funded by the Winnipeg Foundation.

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