Number of patient transfers starting to drop, but families say Manitobans shouldn't face this practice

In another sign of COVID-19's diminishing presence inManitoba, the province'shospitals appear to betransferring fewer patients to health-care facilities far from their home communities and loved ones.

Shared Health says 11patients were sent outside their regional health authorityin the first week of February and 10patients were transferred the following week.

That'sthe lowest two-week period since mid-November 2021, shortly afterthe protocolto transferpatients away from their homestook effect.

"It's an encouraging trend," Dr. Kristjan Thompson, the president of Doctors Manitoba, said, "butagain, this is a scenario that just shouldn't happen.

"If you were to set out and design a health-care system, I don't think anybody would design a process whereby an individual who might be elderly, who might have many chronic illnesses, who might have cognitive impairment is taken hundreds of kilometres away from their loved ones and their families."

Making room for COVID patients

The health system was forced to transfer patientsbeginning last Octoberto make room for an expected surge in COVID-19 patients, as well asother people with medical issues.

As of Wednesday morning, nearly 300patients have been transferred.

The highest number of transfers happened the week of Dec. 13when 41patients were ushered to another facility. There were also two weeks in December and two weeks in January with more than 34 transfers apiece.

Shared Health explained the number of transfers tend to be fewer in weeks with adverse weather conditions.

In various media stories, the families impacted by these transfershave decried the practice, which whisked patientsmany of them seniorsaway from their support network, and sometimeswith little warning.

Melissa Carter's fatherElias Apalitwas transferred from Winnipeg to Minnedosa almostthree weeks ago.

Her mother and father weretogether for 51 years, and have been separated by forces out of their control. It's left Apalit, who has advanced dementia, struggling to understand what's happening, Carter said.

"When you're actually living it and going through it, it almost seems unreal that that this could be happening and that this is how we are treating people who need care, and in our case, a senior citizen and someone who has dementia."

Carter said the family is taking a financial hit. Apalit'swife, Florinda, is spendingthe week in Minnedosa, where she's spent more than$1,000 onaccommodations, groceriesand cab fares. Shared Health says it will reimbursefamilies with these costs, but the Apalits' expenses may exceed the provincial cap.

Carter said she'spleased to find thenumber ofpatient transfersdeclining, but the fact it is still happening is distressing.

"Really, that number should be zero," she said.

Manitoba is incrementally rolling back all public health orders, in large partbecause of the declining stress on the health-care system. The number of COVID cases, hospitalizations and intensive care admissions are all dropping.

But it's clear hospitals areoverburdened if transfers to remote communities are ongoing, Carter said.

"Ifthey're saying now that there seems to be less strain on hospitals, why are families still experiencing this?"

The Official Opposition worries the practice, which Shared Health describes as "inter-regional patient transfers,"will become the status quo.

"I guess the concern we have going forward is, now that they've started doing this, when is it going to stop? When is the end date? When our folks going to come home?"NDP leader Wab Kinew said.

A Shared Health spokesperson wrote in an email that transfers continue to be necessary to "ensure all Manitobans can access the care they need, even when demand for services is high."

Italso encouraged people to get vaccinated and get their thirddose to reduce their probability of needing a hospital bed.

Every transfer carefully weighed: province

When asked last week about eliminating COVID-19 restrictions while patients are still being sent to rural communities, health minister Audrey Gordon appeared to downplay theprotocolby saying that patients have been transferred for years which is true, as patients have long been transferred from one Winnipeg health-care facility to another,but never before at the same frequency asthis winter.

The Tory minister'soffice said cliniciansweighnumerous factors before evaluating a patient's suitability for transfer, including whether the transportation can take place safely, their specific needs and whether the receiving facility can meet a patient's immediate and ongoing needs.

At least one patientdiedafter being transferred.

Kristina Markus remembers being in tears after learning of her transfer to a facility hundreds of kilometresfrom her home. She received just two hours' notice, barely enough time for her sister to get there.

Looking back, Markus wishes the medical professionals would have handledand communicatedher transfer better. It mighthave set her mind at ease, she said.

The Winnipegger's two months at Flin Flon General Hospital turned out better than she could have expected.

She received a floral arrangement for Christmas and a cake on her birthday. A woman who saw her story in the news visited the hospital every week, before tougher COVID restrictions prevented that. She's becomea "lifelong friend," Markus said.

"When I left Flin Flon hospital, when the ambulance people were wheeling me to the ambulance, they were all shouting at me,'Goodbye and good luck, and we're going to miss you.' And I was bawling. I was bawling my eyes out, just as much as I was bawlingleaving in December."

She hopes to one day makea return to Flin Flon a tripshe planned herself to say hello again to the people she met.

"They became more like friends at the end."

WATCH | Hospital patient transfers in downward trend:

Hospital patient transfers in downward trend

3 years ago

Duration 2:25

In another sign of COVID-19's diminishing presence in Manitoba, the province's hospitals are transferring fewer patients to health-care facilities far away from their communities and loved ones.