Manitoba is seeing a jump in milestones

The number of serious incidents at Manitoba hospitals is on the rise in 2023, and one expert attributes the growing trend to staffing shortages.

In the first nine months of last year, there were 112 serious incidents, 22 of which were fatal, according to new Manitoba Health reports.

This represents a 23 percent increase in significant events compared to the corresponding period in 2022; however, the number of deaths remained relatively unchanged.

Jason Linklater, president of the Manitoba Health Professionals Association, said he's not surprised to see the growing trend, but he's concerned about it.

“That's really what we're anticipating because of the staffing levels that we're going to see throughout the system,” Linklater said in an interview Tuesday.

He noted that these reports could lead to dangerous situations for patients and frontline workers in Manitoba's crisis.

“I heard from one member who worked 96 hours over the Easter weekend because there was no one else to do the job,” he said. “It's not safe for anyone.”

Some of the critical incidents cited in the report were falls and delayed treatment. Another common skin tissue disorder, Linklater says, is when a patient stays in one position for too long.

Full reports can be found online. https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/patientsafety/report.html

– With CTV's Will Reimer Files.