May 10, 2021
Manitoba Investing in Enhanced Adult Epilepsy Monitoring Unit
– – –Expanded Unit Will Improve Epilepsy Services, Helping Protect Manitobans Closer to Home: Stefanson
The Manitoba government will invest $4 million toward expanding HSC Winnipeg’s adult epilepsy monitoring unit, a crucial step toward reducing the need for patients to travel outside the province for treatment by providing better care that is closer to home, Health and Seniors Care Minister Heather Stefanson announced today.
“As part of Manitoba’s Clinical and Preventive Services Plan, we are broadening the array of specialty services available in this province, beginning with epileptic care,” said Stefanson. “The expansion of the adult epilepsy monitoring unit at HSC Winnipeg is a pivotal step toward reducing the need for patients to leave their support network behind to receive care outside this province and toward decreasing costs for anti-epileptic medications – costs that can then be reinvested into providing care for Manitobans.”
The investment will expand the adult epilepsy-monitoring unit to four beds from two and purchase new, state-of-the-art monitoring equipment, as well as provide technology-related upgrades. When the project is complete, the expanded unit will improve access to state-of-the-art diagnostic services for Manitobans living with, or suspected of having, seizure disorders.
“The expansion of the adult epilepsy-monitoring unit will allow our talented neurology team to provide effective, timely investigations for adult patients with epilepsy and advance the level of care available to them in our province,” said Dr. Eberhard Renner, provincial lead for internal medicine, Shared Health. “Patients will benefit from increased access to improved services that will help them overcome what often is a debilitating condition.”
The expanded adult unit follows the creation of a pediatric epilepsy surgery program in 2018.
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological condition characterized by recurrent seizures that range in frequency from less than one per year to many per day. There are approximately 23,000 Manitobans who live with epilepsy and/or seizure disorders. As many as one in 10 Manitobans will experience at least one epileptic seizure in their lifetime.
For more information on Manitoba’s Clinical and Preventive Services Plan, visit:
https://sharedhealthmb.ca/about/clinical-planning.
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