The Dauphin Regional Health Centre was hit hard by heavy rains and flooding on July 1st, forcing the evacuation of patients and the closure of the hospital. The emergency room recently opened back up, but what does the timeline look like for the restoration of other services?
Turns out, the Provincial Government might not even know themselves. During Tuesday's session in Legislature, Riding Mountain MLA Greg Nesbitt asked a question about a FIPPA (Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act) request about the DRHC.
"We'd got a Freedom of Information response back to say that no briefing notes about the Dauphin Regional Health Centre were generated for the Minister of Health...I was the Minister of Natural Resources in our previous government there, and there wasn't a day gone by that I didn't have briefing notes on topics, especially the current topics of the day," said Nesbitt.
The Dauphin Regional Health Centre's greatly reduced capabilities are still a major issue, not just for Dauphin, but for numerous nearby communities - including ones in Nesbitt's Riding Mountain constituency. The DRHC was one of the most talked about issues during the PC Caucus's recent retreat and public meetings in Dauphin.
From the beginning of the DRHC's closure, the Progressive Conservative party - representing the Official Opposition in Legislature - has been vocal about the NDP Government's lack of communication around the closure, and what timelines and plans are in place to restore additional services.
"We had a lot of good conversations with people at our caucus retreat in Dauphin about the Dauphin Regional Health Centre, and a lot of them still had questions about what had taken place, and what has to take place...we believe that the government needs to be clear with Manitobans that there's a lot of work to be done in Dauphin," said Nesbitt.
Nesbitt said he'll keep pushing for more communication from the Government and Prairie Mountain Health about the Dauphin Regional Health Centre, as it affects his constituents in the same way as Dauphin.
"Especially on the east end of my constituency there, it's just as quick to get to Dauphin as is to Brandon or Winnipeg, quicker to get to Dauphin as a matter of fact...communication is really important, and letting our citizens know so they can use the Dauphin facility is something I'll keep pushing for, and more transparency from this government moving forward," said Nesbitt.
The Dauphin Regional Health Centre's Emergency Department was reopened on September 7th, with portable CT scanner services returning at the end of September. Other services, including cancer care, dialysis, and surgical services are still on pause.
