Manitoba formalizing protocol to tell cardiac patients of surgical wait times

CBC

12-04-2025

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Manitoba is introducing changes to formalize the communication on surgical wait times for patients in need of cardiac procedures after a Manitoba woman died while waiting for surgery last fall.
Debbie Fewster, a mother of three and grandmother of 10, was diagnosed with an extreme blockage that required a triple heart bypass. While she was initially told surgery would be required in a matter of weeks, her family said she waited almost two months for the procedure and died on Oct. 13.
After Fewster's family shared her story with the public last month, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara issued a directive to the province's health-care system leadership to take action and prevent Fewster's story from repeating.
Asagwara said the "vast majority of Manitobans" already receive cardiac care within the required benchmarks. But after the minister's directive, health authorities found "there were some pretty clear areas of concern."
In response, the province is establishing new protocols the minister said will help ensure there's full clarity for patients regarding timelines on their cardiac plan.
The process, outlined in a Shared Health memo sent to the province on Wednesday and shared with CBC, will be coming into effect over the coming weeks, Asagwara said, to ensure there is a system alignment with the rules.
Speaking on the new measures, Premier Wab Kinew said patients "are going to have to have both the target, but also what's going on right now, a snapshot of the system, how long people in the cardiac needs category are expecting to wait."
Premier Wab Kinew speaks with host Markusa during our monthly chat on key issues affecting Manitoba. From the evolving tariff situation impacting local industries to the ongoing inquests into the deaths of Eishia Hudson and Machuar Madut, the Premier talks about his government's response to these critical matters. He also speaks about the push for a landfill search for Tanya Nepinak and Ashley Shingoose, and the province's efforts to attract scientific talent amid funding concerns.
Before a surgical consultation patients will receive information in writing on the targeted wait time for their procedure based on their acuity, according to the memo.
Later on, during the consultation, the surgeon will provide the patient with the timeline of when the surgery should happen.
Quarterly reports to be publicly released
Manitoba will also begin issuing reports every three months on the patients who died while waiting for a cardiac surgery or procedure, along with information on whether or not their death was directly the result of not getting care.
The province already tracks patients who die while waiting for surgery and reviews their cases to determine what happened, but with the reports Asagwara said Manitoba has an opportunity for more transparency and accountability in cardiac care.
"We will formalize that process to make sure we have full clarity … so that we can understand what steps need to be taken to prevent that in the future," the minister said.
At first, the directive will only cover cardiac procedures, Kinew said, but cancer care procedures could potentially be next.
"It makes sense for us to look at a lot of these life-saving interventions," Kinew said Friday, adding the province will continue working to slash surgical wait times.
PC health critic Kathleen Cook said in a statement the new process is a first step but more needs to be done to ensure patients receive timely access to live-saving care and have clarity about how long they will have to wait for it.
The new measures don't talk about providing patients with information on how they can access out-of-province care when waits in Manitoba exceed medically recommended timelines, Cook said.
"More transparency is desperately needed in our health-care system," she added.
On tracking the date of patients who died while waiting for a surgery, Cook said it is important for the province to expand it beyond cardiac care given that other services, including cancer services, face "significant and dangerous delays."
"Expanding this approach to all life-saving surgeries would help ensure more patients receive timely care when they need it most," Cook said.