ManitobaThe Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg has lost two seizure specialists in the last year, which one Winnipeg mother fears will mean longer wait times or out-of-province travel to get medical care for her son, who lives with epilepsy.Shared Health says new epileptologist joining Health Sciences in 2026, plans to hire 2 moreJulie Western is worried the departure of two seizure specialists from Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre in the last year will mean longer wait times or out-of-province treatment for her son Liam, who lives with epilepsy. (Submitted by Julie Western)Manitoba has lost two seizure specialists in the last year, which one Winnipeg mother fears will mean longer wait times or out-of-province travel to get medical care for her son, who lives with epilepsy.”This has been happening this whole medical journey — there’s a shortage of neurologists,” said Julie Western.”When your kid is sick, it’s hard to wait on the medical system. You want to deal with it right away and you want attention, you want help.” Four neurologists have left Health Sciences Centre, Manitoba’s largest hospital, in the past year, including two epileptologists — specialists in seizures and epilepsy.A spokesperson for Shared Health, the provincial health authority that oversees the hospital, told CBC News one epileptologist returned to his home country. Another left HSC in October last year, Shared Health said.That leaves only two neurologists who specialize in seizures and epilepsy at the hospital.Liam Western was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 15 months old, after he had his first seizure. He’s had care from four neurologists since then. (Submitted by Julie Western)Western’s son Liam, who turns 17 in October, was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 15 months old, after he had his first seizure. He has so far been treated by pediatric neurologists, but when he turns 18 next year, Western is expecting his care will be transferred to adult neurology. She’s worried having fewer specialists at HSC could mean longer wait times for appointments.”The biggest fear is [what if] we just can’t get treatment in Manitoba, right? And then we just have to go somewhere else,” Western said. Liam has already had to go out-of-province for treatment, when he went to Calgary two years ago for an appointment with a specialist.He’s been treated over the years by four different neurologists, each of whom gets to know his medical file and takes charge of his medical treatment. His mother worries about gaps in his treatment as he changes specialists.”It’s very frustrating,” she said. “Different neurologists have different opinions. You may be starting a medication here, then you switch neurologists, and then they want to take you down a different path.”Epileptologist coming in 2026Shared Health told CBC News it hired three neurologists in 2025, but one has since left. An epileptologist has also been hired but won’t join HSC until next year.A spokesperson for the health agency said there are plans to hire two more epileptologists. But Sara Bettess, executive director of the Epilepsy and Seizure Association of Manitoba, is concerned about what the absence of the specialists could mean for patients in the meantime. “What comes to my mind immediately is increased wait times,” Bettess said. “Even for that first visit, [the wait] is going to increase exponentially, because there are few doctors now.” Shared Health says it has hired an epileptologist who will join Health Sciences Centre next year, and there are plans to hire two more. (Jaison Empson/CBC)The association has seen an increase in phone calls and emails from people asking how to get into the seizure clinic at Health Sciences Centre faster, or how to get medical care outside the province, she said.For some patients, especially those whose epilepsy can’t be managed with medication, there’s urgency to see an epileptologist and figure out the best treatment option, said Bettess.”Seizures can impact every single aspect of your life.”Around 23,000 people live with epilepsy and/or seizure disorders in Manitoba, according to Shared Health, which also said earlier this year that approximately one in 10 people will experience at least one epileptic seizure in their lifetime.Bettess said Shared Health announced at the opening of a new HSC epilepsy monitoring unit in March 2024 that three epileptologists were already working at the hospital’s seizure clinic, and a fourth specialist was being recruited. The two remaining neurologists at HSC who specialize in seizures are splitting duties between the seizure clinic and a four-bed epilepsy monitoring unit, Bettess said. Another epileptologist in Manitoba is working in private practice, according to the association. The Manitoba Association of Healthcare Professionals is also pushing for more specialized technologists working in neurology in Manitoba, saying wait times for testing are getting longer.Jason Linklater, president of the Manitoba Association of Healthcare Professionals, says there’s also a shortage of specialized technologists working in neurology in Manitoba. (SeanidStudio/Shutterstock)Jason Linklater, president of the union representing specialized health-care workers, said Manitoba has about 20 electroencephalographic, or EEG, technologists — who operate diagnostic equipment to record brain activity and the central nervous system — split between HSC and St. Boniface Hospital. However, two intra-operative neurosurgical monitoring technologists, who look after patients during high-risk brain and spinal surgeries, left HSC in recent weeks, Linklater said. “We are certainly short,” he said. “HSC opened the epilepsy monitoring unit, but because of short staffing, it was extremely problematic. You have demands placed on existing staff without additional resources.”CBC News also reached to Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara’s office but had not received comment prior to publication.2 seizure specialists have left HSC in past yearA Winnipeg mother is worried about longer wait times to get medical care for her son, who lives with epilepsy, after the recent departure of two epileptologists from Manitoba’s largest hospital.ABOUT THE AUTHORSantiago Arias Orozco is a journalist with CBC Manitoba currently based in Winnipeg. He previously worked for CBC Toronto and the Toronto Star. You can reach him at santiago.arias.orozco@cbc.ca.
Mother fears longer wait times for son with epilepsy after Manitoba loses 2 seizure specialists
