Manitoba Health Wraps Up Meetings In Piney

The Reeve of Piney is pleased with the outcome of two health meetings in the municipality in recent weeks to iron out confusion over which health services will be covered for Piney residents at hospitals in Roseau and Warroad, Minnesota. The second of the meetings happened last Thursday in Sprague. Wayne Anderson says things that are covered are emergency care and primary care, including child birth. The province will not pay for care by specialists and residents will have to get that in Manitoba. Anderson adds, as always, there are grey areas.

"We did get into a point with the primary care and the specialist care where there is a grey area in the middle. We did clear up a lot of those situations"

Anderson says the province will look into a few matters that came up to perhaps add a few services that can be accessed at the American hospitals. He says, for example, routine cancer screening tests are one such matter.

"Manitoba Health doesn't pay for that. That is paid for through a different program through CancerCare. So they are not going to pay for screening tests in Roseau. But there is a possibility that we could get CancerCare and the Roseau Hospital linked up to have the screening tests done down there, which would save a lot of people's headaches. We're going to look into that possibility."

He adds another sore spot involves minor procedures that are done in a doctor's office.

"In Roseau, a doctor can do a lot of things, like mole removal, in their office. But it is considered a specialist service. Common sense would say, why not just get the mole zipped off there. And, if it costs a few dollars, it would save a lot of time and energy instead of being referred back to another doctor in Manitoba. I hope small things like that can be worked out, but that requires a change in law."

Anderson says Manitoba Health has promised to put together a revised information package or pamphlet for Piney residents that clearly spells out what services it will pay for at hospitals in Roseau and Warroad.

He is satisfied with the meetings. Anderson notes municipalities have no business in health care but must advocate for their residents when challenges like this arise. He adds that La Verendrye MLA Dennis Smook has also promised to work with them more closely on some of the issues that were raised.