Debbie’s Law gains momentum in Manitoba

The family of a Manitoba woman who died awaiting life-saving heart surgery says they are encouraged by the province’s new directive aimed at improving surgical wait-time transparency, but stresses more is still needed to ensure such a tragedy is not repeated.

“Not only is it meaningful for us personally as a family to help bring correction to the healthcare system, but we also feel we’re helping other people who have gone through it,” said Daniel Fewster, son of Debbie Fewster.

Debbie’s Law was named after Debbie Fewster, who died in 2024 after waiting over two months for heart surgery. She was told she needed to be within three weeks. The law would require health regions to inform patients if they won’t receive life-saving treatment within the recommended timeframe, helping families make more informed decisions, including seeking care outside the province.

“While it might not seem statistically significant how many people this affects, this is extremely significant when it happens to you,” said Colleen Dyck, the daughter of Debbie Fewster.

Earlier this month, the province took the first steps toward adopting a new policy. The family says, Minister of Health Uzoma Asagwara released a draft directive largely aligned with the proposed law, which they say is a meaningful step forward, but they would ultimately like to see Debbie’s Law brought into official legislation.

“This directive from the minister is a good first step, but we want to make sure tragedies like this never happen again,” said Harrison Fleming, the director of Policy and Legislative Affairs with SecondStreet.Org.

Daniel adding, “Policies, draft directives, does that change with the next government or with the next health minister. We would love to see something more permanent in regard to this.”

The family is calling for four key changes. Those include clearer wording around actual patient wait times, a detailed patient journey map, clear guidance on who to contact during delays, and education on how worsening conditions could affect care timelines.

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“Our government has not waited for legislation to issue directives and take the necessary action to reestablish the cardiac centre for excellence and improve cardiac care for all Manitobans,” said Asagwara.

Asagwara says they have taken the family’s feedback but will not be focusing on fines, stating their priority is investing in more surgeries and cardiac care.