Manitoba\u2019s Auditor-General says the government is not effectively managing dialysis services, a critical treatment that is needed by a growing number of patients in the Prairie province.<\/p>\n
Auditor-General Tyson Shtykalo, in an report published Thursday<\/a>, said Manitoba is not funding or delivering the service in a clear, efficient or co-ordinated way. The audit examined dialysis services between April, 2022, and March, 2024.<\/p>\n One of the reasons the audit was undertaken is that Manitoba<\/a> has the highest rate of end-stage kidney disease in Canada. Dialysis filters the blood to remove toxins, waste and excess fluids when the kidneys are not able to. It is the main treatment when a transplant is not available.<\/p>\n \u201cEven though dialysis is a life-sustaining service, the Province does not know if it is achieving the best results for patients and providing the best value for taxpayers,\u201d Mr. Shtykalo said in the 48-page report.<\/p>\n Opinion: An urgent prescription for our ailing Canadian health care system<\/a><\/p>\n He outlined three major concerns: There is no operational plan guiding the delivery of services in Manitoba, it is unclear who is responsible for dialysis services and the funding model is not tied to outcomes or cost analysis. <\/p>\n \u201cA funding process that allows inefficiencies will always result in waste or not achieving the desired objectives,\u201d wrote Mr. Shtykalo, who said strategic direction and funding decisions must be integrated to ensure efficient service delivery.<\/p>\n It is estimated that one in 10 Manitobans have some degree of kidney disease, but First Nations<\/a> and people living in rural and remote communities are disproportionately affected, according to the report. <\/p>\n Provincial leaders across Canada are coming under fire for their handling of health care. Alberta\u2019s Auditor-General last month concluded the province was using selective data<\/a> to mask health care failings. In Manitoba, Premier Wab Kinew has promised to reform the health system \u2013 by reducing hospital wait times, for example \u2013 but critics say little has changed since he was elected in 2023. <\/p>\n Uzoma Asagwara, Manitoba\u2019s deputy premier and minister of health, seniors and long-term care, said in a statement on Thursday that the audit highlights the previous government\u2019s lack of planning.<\/p>\n \u201cThe OAG\u2019s report examines a period marked by system strain and years of fragmented planning under the previous government. That was the reality we inherited,\u201d Mx. Asagwara said. \u201cSince forming government, we have moved quickly to put proper structures in place, expand access to dialysis closer to home and build a system that is safer, more co-ordinated and focused on patient outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Shtykalo noted in his audit that the problems he identified \u2013 lack of strategy, unclear roles and funding that does not drive efficiency \u2013 are not unique to dialysis services. <\/p>\n Andr\u00e9 Picard: The never-ending riddle of Canadian health spending<\/a><\/p>\n