Bethesda wait time troubles Anola man

An Anola man is “frustrated” after waiting 14 hours at a Steinbach emergency room and leaving for Winnipeg, where they treated his wound immediately.

David Block, 31, travelled to Bethesda Regional Health Centre on Nov. 30 when he had an infected cut on his finger from working on his vehicle. He decided to make the trip to the emergency room when the cut wouldn’t heal and his finger was swollen and infected. When he arrived at the hospital at 3:30 p.m., Block said no one examined the wound and the only thing the nurses did was change his dressing.

“I could literally feel it (the blood blister) growing under the bandage that she put on,” he told The Carillon, noting he couldn’t move his finger because of the pain and swelling.

While he was waiting, Block said he only saw 10 other people in the waiting room and multiple nurses on their phones.

He decided to leave and make the 65 kilometre drive to Concordia Hospital in Winnipeg for treatment once a nurse said he’d have to wait seven more hours before being seen.

When he arrived, nurses immediately drained the blister and cleaned the infected finger.

‘The lady that took me in the triage and she’s like, ‘Get in the room’ with no hesitation,” he said.

Block said the doctor who treated him said if he waited the extra seven hours in Steinbach, the infection would’ve turned septic and the whole finger could’ve been amputated. He spent five hours in total at the Winnipeg hospital for his treatment, something he said should’ve been the case at Bethesda.

“You guys have already proved (to) me that this hospital is disgusting and has no sense of professionality,” Block said.

The lingering effects of the infection have forced him to either live with being unable to move his finger above the first knuckle or cut that part off.

“Let’s see how long I can live with this. I’m getting to the point where I’m going to cut it off. It’s just kind of like hanging there,” he said.

A spokesperson for Southern Health said they couldn’t comment on Block’s case due to privacy restrictions. When asked to provide the average wait time for November at Bethesda Regional Health Centre, they refused and said a freedom-of-information request needed to be filed.

On Nov. 26, the Winnipeg Free Press reported 82-year-old Genevieve Price died on Nov. 22 after waiting more than 30 hours in the emergency department at Winnipeg’s Grace Hospital for treatment on her swollen wrist. Her death triggered a critical incident review.

Kathleen Cook, Progressive Conservative health critic and MLA for Roblin, said it’s becoming increasingly common to see long wait times at 24/7 emergency rooms, such as Bethesda Regional Health Centre.

“It must be a terrifying experience for a patient to know that their only option to get the timely care they need would be to drive into Winnipeg,” she said.

Since wait times at the Bethesda hospital aren’t publicly listed, it’s harder to track any increases or decreases, Cooks said. The government’s focus needs to be on retaining and recruiting doctors and nurses in rural areas, she said.

“I think Manitobans would appreciate knowing what the wait times are looking like before they head in, so they can make an informed decision,” Collins said.

Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara didn’t respond to an interview request by deadline.