Health minister listens to Hamiota residents’ ER concerns

HAMIOTA — Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara got an earful when they appeared before residents in this western Manitoba town Friday, to address shortcomings with its emergency care centre.

The minister, appearing beforeroughly 75 people in the community centre, spent an hour responding to questions, comments and concerns.

Robin Johnston, a Hamiota resident in his 80s, complained that his wife Bette waited two and a half hours for an ambulance response, and said he believed it led to her death.

“Everybody here should be cheering that we should have an ambulance,” he said. “It would have saved my wife’s life.”

Asagwara acknowledged the concern.

“We know there is a shortage,” Asagwara said. “We agree. We think you should have an ambulance in your community, absolutely.”

The comments were not all negative. One woman praised the health-care system for recently saving her father.

Asagwara said there are things to be optimistic about: that there is a full class of paramedics at Red River College Polytechnic, and that many of those students plan to work in rural Manitoba when they graduate.

“The work is happening, literally, right now as we speak,” Asagwara said. “There is a path forward here, in terms of us all rowing in the same direction towards a 24-7 ER.”

In 2019, full-time emergency services were suspended at the Hamiota Health Centre. For the week of Nov. 3-9, the schedule lists three days without the emergency department services.

Speaking to the Brandon Sun following the meeting, Asagwara said the team came to Hamiota to add context to their understanding.

“We felt it was very important to come out to Hamiota and hear directly from the community,” Asagwara said, adding it was “the right thing to do.”

Hamiota Mayor Randy Lints said the minister and health officials toured the health centre and seemed commited to solving some issues.

“I like what I heard at the facility,” Lints said. “I thought it went real well.”

The main concern in the community is the lack of lab staff and equipment, he said, adding that these two factors lead to interruptions at the emergency department.

Jason Little, CEO of emergency response services for Shared Health, reiterated the minister’s point that there are healthy numbers of students training today to work in emergency response services.

“This year we will have anywhere between 60 ad 80 graduates, as long as everybody gets through,” Little said. “And next year, between 80 and 100.”

Asagwara said during the tour, they were shown a piece of equipment that was tucked into a closet. The minister said their team would work to correct that.

— Brandon Sun