Health officials stress loss of Roblin diagnostic services, ER not permanent

Health officials tried to quell concerns that the recent loss of diagnostic and emergency services at Roblin District Health Centre are not permanent during a virtual town hall Thursday night.

Recent retirements, maternity leaves and staff departures created a staffing shortage for diagnostic services in the Roblin area and prompted the shutdown of their emergency department, which came into effect at on Sept. 4.

Some diagnostic services, including x-ray services, are being relocated at the Russell Health Centre for the time being.

Health Minister Cameron Friesen stressed that the closures were not part of the provincial government's larger overhaul of the healthcare system.

"Nothing could be further from the truth," he said.

Recruitment efforts are underway, including the hiring of a firm to headhunt potential employees from across Canada, and discussions with technologists in other parts of the province who might want to relocate, health officials said Thursday.

For now, some services have already been restored for Roblin and Shoal Lake on an outpatient basis, Friesen said.

The town hall was hosted over Zoom and gave residents a chance to ask health officials questions about the closures.

One woman asked why lab staff were relocated to fill vacancies in Russell over keeping them in Roblin.

Penny Gilson, CEO of Prairie Mountain Health, said the decision was based on the fact that Russell serves a higher population base and that they have the only functioning 24/7 emergency room in the area.

"So I know that's upsetting to Roblin, and we understand that, but at this particular point in time we had to determine what is the top priority," she said.

System understaffed

Bob Moroz, president of the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals, the union representing lab workers, said he wasn't satisfied with the explanations given by health officials Thursday night.

The real issue is not the sudden departure of staff, but that the health care system is so understaffed, especially in rural areas, he said.

"What that really indicates and I really want Manitobans to understand, is that the loss of just one or two diagnostic individuals results in the absolute closure of an entire emergency department in a community like Roblin," he said.

He added that retirements, maternity leaves, and other staff departures don't usually come suddenly and should be planned for.

"We are absolutely running on a razor thin margin where somebody who has the audacity to start a family would have to have a maternity leave, for example, or somebody who retires, causes a crisis like this. It just makes no sense."

"There's just no planning. There's no long term planning in order to have these services that they want for people to be close to home."