Some Winnipeg dialysis patients choosing palliative care over dealing with Transit Plus

Some dialysis patients in Winnipeg who use the city’s Transit Plus system say they are so frustrated with the service, they’re choosing palliative care over dealing with the stress of transport to and from the hospital.

That’s what happened with John Egdell, who passed away last month. John didn’t want to take on the burden of getting to Seven Oaks Hospital for his dialysis treatments through Transit Plus, and chose palliative care instead, according to his wife Linda Egdell.

“Palliative care, they treated him with the deepest of respect,” said Egdell. “Which is the things he didn’t get from Transit Plus and he was very sad about that. But it did help in his decision.

“The worry of knowing that I couldn’t drive him in the winter and that he would have to take (Transit Plus), he said he didn’t want to put me through it and he himself didn’t want to take on that responsibility of doing this to me.”

CityNews spoke to John a few months ago, in February, and he indeed shared his frustration with the Transit Plus service: “If I ever decide to actually end this, this Transit Plus will be one of the main nails in the coffin,” he said at the time.

Debbie Menard, a friend of the Egdells and a dialysis patient herself, has now applied for palliative care for similar reasons.

“Not everybody has family that can help or friends,” Menard said. “Not everybody can afford a taxi.

“They have to have a dedicated system for dialysis patients. Cancer patients. Other medical appointments.”

Transit Plus provides door-to-door transportation for Winnipeggers who can’t use the city’s fixed public transit routes because of a physical disability.

“While we strive to provide the best possible service to everyone, Winnipeg Transit Plus is a shared-ride and more like standard bus services than private services like taxis,” the City of Winnipeg said in a statement. “Winnipeg Transit does not offer non-emergency medical transportation or other customized transportation.

“It is important to remember that Winnipeg Transit Plus is intended to extend transit services to those who need barriers removed, and not to provide superior service than that which is provided to all residents of Winnipeg.”

The city explains the service used to operate as a “priority trip-booking system,” but that was replaced with a first-come, first-served system in 2021. That decision was made, in part, because the system was outdated; could be perceived as discriminatory; and would not align with the Accessibility for Manitobans Act.

“As a result, no trip – including medical trips (such as dialysis) – has priority over others,” the City of Winnipeg said. “Winnipeg Transit Plus continues to provide door-to-door service to qualified passengers who are unable to use standard transit services.”

Linda Egdell says she wants to make sure people don’t feel like they have no choice but to seek palliative care for transportation issues.

“We have more technology and above all, we have more ways of talking to each other,” she said. “And I think that would be the greatest thing that happened in the city.”