Upcoming gaps in ER coverage worry residents in Roblin, Man.

Four years ago, the leader of Manitoba's then opposition party joined a rally calling for changes to address Roblin's health-care staffing shortages.

Now that Wab Kinew is premier, some people in the rural western Manitoba community are wondering when those changes will materialize.

There are more than 3,000 people in Roblin and the surrounding area, just over 300 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. But the area is now down to one physician and is facing gaps in service in its emergency department schedule for the remainder of this month. 

"It definitely affects the community. You're forcing people on the roads to go to neighbouring ERs in the wintertime, when travel's not always the best," said Sean Keeler, president of the board of directors for the clinic in Roblin.

Keeler said the town's only remaining doctor also has time off coming up in late December and early January. That likely means ER services will have to be suspended temporarily, although Prairie Mountain Health — the area's regional health authority — has not yet confirmed any closure for that time period.

Treena Slate, the health region's CEO, said in an email that "an unexpected physician departure" this fall left the community with one doctor, but Prairie Mountain is "committed to addressing anticipated gaps in coverage" in the ER.

Primary care in Roblin is also provided by two nurse practitioners, one of whom also works in other communities, said Slate.

Personal care home residents and hospital in-patients won't see any disruption in care during "periods of temporary emergency department service interruptions," Slate said.

This is not the first time the emergency department in Roblin has faced service disruptions.

Now Premier Kinew was part of a rally in Roblin in 2020, when his party was in opposition, where residents called on the then Progressive Conservative government to fix staffing shortages that prompted a temporary closure of the ER.

Now that Kinew's NDP is in power, Keeler said people are wondering when things will change.

"What I took out of it [the 2020 rally] is that communities like Roblin would not be forgotten, and right now we're feeling a little bit forgotten," he said.

Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said Friday the government has started to make progress to bring doctors back to communities like Roblin.

The province has confirmed a new permanent physician will begin practising in the community as of next September, Asagwara said in an emailed statement.

"In the meantime, we are working to fill vacancies with locum [temporary] physicians to keep the emergency department open and offer special incentives to encourage physicians to work in Roblin," they said.

Slate also said recruitment efforts are ongoing to find a physician to start sooner, which could include temporary coverage or locum physicians for Roblin's ER.

She also pointed to other provincial recruitment efforts, including increased medical training seats, and the development of a provincial recruitment office to speed up the credentialing process and connect doctors looking to work in Manitoba with communities that need their services.

'It's never perfect': Carberry mayor

Roblin isn't the only western Manitoba community with a physician shortage.

The emergency department in Carberry, about 160 kilometres west of Winnipeg, also has coverage gaps for the remainder of the month.

But Ray Muirhead, the town's mayor, told CBC News the situation has improved since 2023, when the town's ER services were suspended indefinitely.

"The ER is open, which that in itself is a lot better than it used to be," Muirhead said. "We are, I would say, in a good spot right now. It's never perfect. It's never as optimum as we would like."

Carberry previously relied on locum physicians — doctors who temporarily pick up shifts to provide coverage in communities in need.

Now, the town has two full-time nurse practitioners, nursing staff, a full compliment of EMS staff and two full-time doctors.

In Roblin, Keeler said the local physician recruitment committee is doing what it can to help.

"They're making a lot of calls, trying to make connections — but yeah, it's an absolute struggle," he said.

"When the demand is so high and the supply isn't there, it's tough to recruit."

Doctor shortage expected to force temporary suspension of ER services in Roblin

12 days ago

Duration 2:07

When the only remaining doctor in Roblin, Man., takes time off in a few weeks, ER services will likely have to be suspended temporarily. The local health region says it’s working to address gaps in coverage, but people in the western Manitoba town want longer-term solutions.