Doctors leave Manitoba town, wounding ER service

Two doctors have leftKillarney, forcing the Manitoba town toshut down its hospital's full-timeemergency service.

Killarney now shares emergency services with Boissevain andone on-call doctor alternates between the two towns, which are about 40 kilometres apart.

Killarney's population is about 3,400 while Boissevain'sis approximately 1,500.

People who now need an emergency roomafter hours must call 911 and "the ambulance will know which site the physician is on call at and take them directly there," Prairie Mountain Health Authority CEO Penny Gilson said.

If it's not an urgent matter, peoplemustcall the local health centre to find out where the doctor is working that day.

Killarney Coun. Gwen Tripp thinks alternating on-call locations is going to create a lot of confusion.

"I think [people] are going to be showing up at the hospital anyways and then they've wasted time that way [if the doctor is in the other town]," she said.

'Not a good situation'

"A small emergency's OK, but when it comes to heart and strokes time is of the essence. It's not a good situation really, for anybody," said Claire Bartley of Killarney, whohad heart surgery on June 28.

He was short of breath and his doctor immediately began testing and found his heart had major blockages. Surgery was done toput five stents in his heart.

Bartley believes that had his doctornot acted so quickly, hemight have had a heart attack.

"The current situation is not ideal [but]the most important thing is that were keeping as many services operational as close to home as possible," said Gilson, adding they're working hard to recruit rural doctors.

"Both facilities remain open, both facilities are completely staffed with nursing staff, it's just that there will not be a physician on-site in both communities."

Trip saidKillarney and its surrounding region is too largeto not have its own full-time emergency service, especially in summer because the population increases withpeople vacationing and camping in the area.

"We're 3,400 people and in the summer that doubles and we cover a large area to the east," she said.

"For some people [the commute to Boissevain] could be more than 30 minutes, [and for others]it could be up to an hour."

She knows thePrairie Mountain Health Authority, as well as the provincial health minister, arefocused onrecruiting new doctors. She's also pitching in, personally calling doctors to see if any will commit totemporary placements.

"We all have got to work to get doctors to the rural communities and into Manitoba," Tripp said.