First Nation mother dies as Manitoba ICUs remain at critical level
Posted May 27, 2021 5:42 pm.
Last Updated May 27, 2021 6:53 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
WINNIPEG (CityNews) – A 31-year-old mother of two from Ebb and Flow First Nation died Monday, after an attempted medical transfer to an ICU in Ontario.
The community is grieving the death of Krystal Mousseau.
“It’s so, so tragic. It’s so tragic for the children that have lost a mother, for a mother who’s lost a daughter. A community that has lost one of their sisters, the backbone of our communities, really. It’s a somber point in our communities because of just the amount of people from our First Nations that are currently occupying the IC units in Manitoba,” explained Grand Chief Jerry Daniels, Southern Chiefs’ Organization.
“It’s quite unfortunate that a health system that we pride ourselves on, and like to say is the best in the world, is failing our citizens.”
The Grand Chief says Mosseau’s death is a failure of the province with ICU’s in crisis and of Ottawa for not sending help sooner.
“Krystal’s death is one more tragic life taken by a pandemic that has impacted First Nations citizens and communities disproportionately,” said Grand Chief Daniels in a statement. “Not only was Krystal dealing with decades of colonial based health care inequities faced by First Nation people, she was also being treated in Manitoba’s Intensive Care Unit system which is facing an unprecedented crisis. I pray that no more lives are lost because of the dire situation Manitoba now finds itself in.”
Mousseau was one of a few Manitobans that were being sent to Ontario, as intensive care units within Manitoba are at record occupancy.
Shared Health could not speak to specifics, but said a patient was identified for transport, and destabilized prior to takeoff. The patient was returned to the facility and died the following day.
“Our condolences go out to the patient’s family and loved ones on their loss. We also want to send along our thoughts to the care teams who worked tirelessly to treat this patient, as they have for so many others during this pandemic,” said Shared Health in a statement.
“We cannot speak to the specific circumstances of any individual patient, but can confirm that no patients have died during transport to ICU in another province. A critically ill patient who was identified for transport to an Ontario hospital did destabilize prior to takeoff earlier this week. The patient was provided with care by the critical care transport team and immediately returned to the sending facility. We can confirm the patient passed away the following day.”
Shared Health continued by saying, “patients selected for transport to an ICU in another jurisdiction are carefully assessed by the critical care team and detailed discussions occur between the sending and receiving care teams. Rapid deterioration and death of COVID-19 patients requiring critical care is not uncommon and cannot be predicted, whether in the ICU or during transport.”
Manitoba’s chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin, announced on Tuesday that the province’s current health restrictions would be extended due to the overwhelmed ICUs and as the province announced eight additional COVID-19 deaths.
