Trust in health-care system takes another hit after man’s death following long wait in Winnipeg ER

A Winnipeg woman who trained as a doctor in the Philippines is voicing her distrust of the Manitoba health care system after a recent incident at Health Sciences Centre. Rosemarie Figueroa, 59, says she doesn’t trust the system after hearing about the man who died while waiting in the emergency department this week, as well as her own experience of waiting 24 hours for care at the same emergency room last year.

In late November, Figueroa’s family doctor and a doctor at Seven Oaks General Hospital recommended she go to the ER due to concerns about her cough and difficulty breathing, fearing it could be a pulmonary embolism. Despite advocating for herself and communicating her symptoms to the triage nurse at HSC, Figueroa waited for 24 hours without seeing a doctor. She eventually left for Seven Oaks General Hospital, where she collapsed and was finally seen by a doctor.

Figueroa, who practiced medicine in the Philippines for five years before coming to Canada, expressed her frustration and disappointment with the system, saying her experiences as a patient in Manitoba differ greatly from the emergency departments she worked in back home.

Premier Wab Kinew urged Manitobans to continue trusting the health care system, stating that there are excellent people working on the front lines. However, Figueroa’s lack of trust in the system is shared by others in Winnipeg, including Dr. Barry Lavallee, CEO of an Indigenous health organization, who highlighted the longstanding issue of Indigenous people facing racism in the health care system.

The recent incident at HSC has led to a critical incident investigation, with officials stating that the ER was over capacity on the night of the man’s death. The Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians also emphasized the need for high-level changes in health care across the country to address issues such as access block and health human resources.

Dr. Fraser Mackay, a board member of the association, stressed the importance of addressing systemic issues rather than blaming individual patients or health-care workers. He warned that without significant changes, more patients will present at ERs with severe conditions that could have been prevented with better access to care.

In conclusion, Figueroa’s experience and the recent incident at HSC underscore the need for systemic reforms in Manitoba’s health care system to ensure timely and effective care for all patients. It is essential to address the underlying issues that contribute to long wait times and overcrowded emergency departments to prevent further tragedies and improve overall patient outcomes.