The Northern Health Region (NHR) has suspended all operating room services at Flin Flon General Hospital.
The news was announced by the Manitoba Nurses Union (MNU) April 27. The NHR confirmed the news later in the day.
“As a result of the recent departure of our surgeon and anesthetist from the Flin Flon General Hospital, the Northern Health Region was left with no other choice than to suspend operating room services at the hospital,” said a statement from an NHR spokesperson.
MNU first addressed the situation when the union posted an internal memo from the NHR, detailing a 90 day notice of services being suspended.
“This letter will serve as 90 days notice under the Employment Security Memorandum of Agreement that the services of the operating room at FFH are suspended,” reads the memo.
“The NHR is committed to working with the union and the nurses impacted, as outlined in the collective agreement.”
The suspension comes following the departure of Dr. Rashid Abulhoda, previously the general surgeon at Flin Flon General Hospital. Abulhoda left the NHR and Flin Flon effective March 20. With no remaining surgeon available in Flin Flon, an NHR spokesperson confirmed to The Reminder earlier this month that any surgeries previously scheduled in Flin Flon would be referred out of town, with any further surgical cases referred out to The Pas or other centres.
Abulhoda’s departure was followed by the departure of anesthesiologist Dr. Eiman Rahimi. Rahimi was announced to be leaving the NHR April 17.
MNU president Darlene Jackson said the union was informed of the decision last week, calling it “misguided” in a press release issued April 27.
"This misguided decision leaves the community without local access to an essential health care service, and raises many unanswered questions about the rationale for the decision," Jackson said.
In the MNU statement, the union said they had “received repeated assurances from the employer that there were no plans to close the Flin Flon operating room.”
“However, after the sudden and unexplained departure of two resident doctors, the employer changed course and issued the minimum required 90 day employment security notice with no additional warning or consultation with staff.”
The NHR has developed a contingency plan to transfer all surgical cases presented to Flin Flon General Hospital either to The Pas or Winnipeg. It is unknown, if surgical care is restored to Flin Flon, what form it may take or how long the suspension may last.
“We know realistically that we are up against a national shortage of core specialists like anesthetists and surgeons,” said the NHR spokesperson.
MNU says five nurses in Flin Flon have been affected by the suspension.
"Nurses are concerned about the impacts this will have on the community and they deserve to know if the suspension of services is in fact permanent. Whether this is a matter of short staffing, costs, or the first stages of their rural health care transformation, the government should be upfront with Manitobans and explain why this decision was made," read the MNU statement.
Flin Flon MLA voiced his concerns in a statement issued April 27, saying making such an announcement in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak was a poor choice.
“Permanently shuttering operating rooms is the last thing this government should be doing in a health pandemic. Our community needs a health care system that can not only meet the regular and ongoing health needs of families but can also be there should COVID-19 cases begin to appear in Flin Flon,” he said.
“The continued destruction of health care in Flin Flon is an irresponsible move on the part of the Pallister government."
The NHR said further decisions on Flin Flon health services would be taken in conjunction with provincial health officials, Shared Health Manitoba and in conjunction with the Provincial Preventative Clinical Services Plan (PCPSP), released late last year.
“Moving forward, we will build on the extensive planning that has already occurred regarding the future of services at Flin Flon General Hospital. The Northern Health Region continues to work with Shared Health and Manitoba Health on planning for clinical services in Flin Flon which are grounded in the provincial Preventive Clinical Services Plan,” said the NHR spokesperson.
“We believe that the opportunities for Flin Flon are significant and we know that the mix of services and programs has not yet been finalized. Much of that work, and the subsequent decisions, are depending on the provincial plan as well as how that provincial plan is unfolded within the Northern Health Region. We will continue to be guided by the Provincial Clinical Services Plan. We have actively participated in the creation of the plan and we will continue to be actively engaged in discussions, decisions and implications related to the provincial plan. We will continue to work with Shared Health and the province to seek long-term solutions for the citizens we serve.”
