Ontario’s Health Minister says residents of Red Lake were never in danger despite the closure of the emergency room at the Margaret Cochenour Hospital.
Christine Elliott faced more questions about the weekend closure at Queen’s Park on Thursday.
Christine Elliott says Ontario Health made sure there was health care coverage for anyone needing it.
“The provincial Emergency Operations Center and the Ministry of Health coordinated patients to be redirected to Dryden, and air support was available for EMS transfers as required,” says Elliott.
“As a result, no one needed to be airlifted and two people were transferred by ambulance.”
NDP leader Andrea Horwath says the closure of the Red Lake ER is not an isolated event because there is a shortage of physicians in small hospitals across the north.
“Every small hospital in the region could see its Emergency Room temporarily closed due to the shortages, just like what happened in Red Lake. Every single one,” says Horwath.
Elliott adds that the province is making sure the are locums available or people can be redirected as needed.
