Doctor gives rural health a grim prognosis in open letter to premier

Last month, the Manitoba government sent out a series of tweets meant to recruit people into nursing — but instead ignited backlash. The ads had an image of three women getting facials, one wearing nursing scrubs. They were criticized as demeaning health-care professionals. The province has since removed the tweets.

The controversy sparked this response from a rural Manitoba physician, who calls it the latest example of a tone deaf government.

Mr. Pallister and the provincial government:

By now, you realize that your latest advertisement was a PR nightmare. I am not writing to you today in order to remind you of that.

But this is part of a trend that shows your government has lost touch with the needs of those who work in health care.

What are these trends, you may ask?

First, closing and reorganizing ER departments in Winnipeg, with a lack of input from anyone who works in health care.

Most recently, the announced closure of the St. Boniface Family Medicine Centre has thrown established family physicians, nurses, family medicine residents, administrative and support staff into uncertainty, as they are "redistributed" to other sites, with little choice in the matter.

The message that has been repeatedly sent out is that you don't care.

I can only imagine that an equally impersonal and flippant process is being implemented for nursing and support staff. It seems like the ideal way to show disrespect for people who have worked to improve care for the needs of St. Boniface residents for decades.

As a rural physician, I also know that after this newest PR scandal blows over, the sweeping changes your government wants to implement to "improve" health care will come to rural Manitoba.

In my opinion, there's been minimal discussion with health-care providers who work and live beyond the Perimeter.

If there has been any consultation, I frankly think it's been under a facade; you and your government won't really take our input into account.

Because quite simply, the message that has been repeatedly sent out is that you don't care.

The almighty dollar takes precedence in your view of the world.

The almighty dollar takes precedence in your view of the world.

As someone born and raised in Manitoba, coming from a working class family and using my skills, determination and opportunities, I was able to get to where I am today.

I trained as a registered nurse/bachelor of nursing prior to becoming a physician. I will work my entire career in rural Manitoba, because that is where my heart and passion lie.

Yet I struggle to relate to you and your government.

I am both fearful and ready to fight when this next round of health-care changes is thrust on to us. Here's why:

There is an ongoing challenge not only to recruit, but to retain health-care providers of any type.

Nobody wants to work here because there is ongoing job uncertainty. Those of us who already work here are frustrated, because our pleas have been ignored for years.

Health-care professionals, especially nurses, are already at the point of burnout.  In fact, many good nurses are leaving this profession because of this.

They are morally injured on a daily basis because they cannot provide the high-quality care they want to deliver.

As one of my friends (a nurse) put it:

"I remembered leaving a crying old man at the bedside. He had just lost his spouse.

"But I left him because I had a patient to see with chest pain in the trauma room, and a waiting room filled with patients who needed to be seen and triaged.

"The old gentleman left before I came back for him.

"I cried that night after my shift in my car. I kept on thinking what it must have felt like to have nobody by your side when you were going through the most devastating moment of your life. I felt like I failed him."

We are badly understaffed in rural areas. It's not just about working overtime or no breaks. It's about safety and quality of care.

I talked to you in person in December 2018 when you were in Dauphin (to pat yourself on the back about our MRI machine becoming operational).

You wanted to hear why I chose to practice rurally and I told you directly:

Without our very busy emergency room, many people would die. They would not be able to reach an ER in another town before dying.

I told you this, but even at that time, I felt that my concerns were falling upon deaf ears.

I assume that at this point, no number of PR nightmares will stop the health-care improvement train that is in motion — in particular, not when it comes to rural Manitoba.

We live outside the Perimeter and the city's ivory towers, and all that we are to you and your accountants is money lost.

I invite you to prove me wrong.

Sincerely, Dr. Danielle Paradis, BN, MD.

This column is part of  CBC's Opinion section. For more information about this section, please read this editor's blog and our FAQ.

Read more opinion pieces published by CBC Manitoba.