Chronic staff shortages in Canada's health-care system have been exacerbated by waves of COVID-19 infections, and are pushing the system to the brink, warns a medical advocate for Doctors Manitoba.
"The health-care system has slowly been crumbling," Dr. David Cram told CTV News Channel on Monday. "Then COVID came along and just crushed us."
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He warns that the impact of staffing shortages is being felt significantly among rural health-care units, with a rising instances of emergency rooms being forced to close.
"You're just short doctors and you literally have to shut down." Cram said.
Watch Cram explain the problem – and possible solutions – in the video at the top of this article.
Correction
A previous version of this article incorrectly said Dr. David Cram was president of Doctors Manitoba. He is instead a board member.
