Wait times in Winnipeg emergency rooms have hit their worst levels in years, latest numbers reveal
CBC
The moment Alyson Shane saw the blood on the pavement after falling off her bike, she worried the worst was yet to come.
"My first thought was, 'Oh God, I have to go sit in an ER. I'm going to be there for 12 hours,'" she said.
On Wednesday afternoon, Shane hit a pothole while cycling in Winnipeg and was thrown over the handlebars of her bike. After her helmeted head hit the pavement, she was disoriented and the gash on her forehead was bleeding profusely.
At the Health Sciences Centre, staff bandaged her up and she waited from 4 p.m. until 2:30 a.m. to be seen by a doctor, who treated her with stitches and medication.
She was pleased with the care she received, but not with the 10½-hour wait.
"It was incredibly busy, every single chair was full. I would say there were a couple dozen people there at any given time. It got more full as the evening went on," said Shane.
She said an Indigenous man in a wheelchair repeatedly called for help, saying he had chest pain, and a nurse kept responding that there was no bed available. She overheard a woman who said she was blind complaining of a nearly nine-hour wait. She says a younger woman was denied a blanket after saying she was cold.