Two MGEU members from Winnipeg Paramedics Local 911 may have been exposed to the H1N1 virus, while transporting patients to the Health Sciences Centre.
The patients were flown from St. Theresa Point First Nation to Winnipeg with a nurse, where they were picked up by a Winnipeg ambulance.
Neither member has exhibited symptoms of the flu, but all precautions have been taken to eliminate the risk of spreading the virus. Both were given a nasal swab and a deep cleaning of their ambulance was performed immediately after they arrived at HSC. They are now off duty and are waiting to hear if they’ve been exposed to the virus.
The one frustrating part for everyone involved is why the paramedics weren’t informed of the possible H1N1 exposure before they picked their up the passengers. Instead, they learned of the risk from HSC staff once they had arrived.
All Winnipeg paramedics have been given full gowns, gloves and N95 masks to use when responding to these suspected cases. But in this particular instance, the chain of communication to warn them of potential exposure broke down at some point.
According to Local 911 Vice-President Tim Scharer, the focus should not be on pointing fingers to find who’s to blame, but instead should be placed on improving the system to ensure members aren’t placed at risk again. For a normal Winnipeg 911 call, the intake call goes through a number of questions by staff to diagnose the problem and screen for potential risks. Then it’s transferred to the dispatcher who can warn paramedics if any precautions are needed.
In this case, a nursing station and a private airline (who transported the patient) were involved, which added a number of links to the chain of communication and increased the potential for error. That’s something that Scharer would like to see changed.
“I think we need to look at our whole system and re-evaluate how these calls come in and how that information is relayed,” said Scharer. “Maybe one large intake centre for the entire province would help, perhaps there’s another solution. One way or another it’s important for us to improve the system.”
Last month, 41 residents of St. Theresa Point were transported to Winnipeg for medical care. At least 14 of those patients reported a respiratory illness. To date, there have been 38 confirmed cases of H1N1 in Manitoba.