Sask. woman can't access dialysis treatment close to home because clinic is just across Man. border

Maureen McBratney nearly died from extreme kidney failure earlier this year, but doctors and nurses were able to save her life. 

Now she's doing well and should remain stable, so long as she gets life-saving dialysis treatment every other day. 

McBratney wants to make the most of her time with her family, including her only grandson and her dogs, Bandit and Smokey, at home in Denare Beach, Sask.

But she can't do that. Instead, she's stuck living six hours from home in Saskatoon, trapped in a situation that she says defies common sense. 

"It's heartbreaking. It's emotionally draining," she said. 

There's a hemodialysis clinic about 20 minutes from her home, just across the provincial border at the hospital in the border-town of Flin Flon, Man. But she's been told that she can't become a regular dialysis patient there unless she becomes a resident of Manitoba and obtains a Manitoba health card.

McBratney, a long-time resident in the border community, said she has received ongoing care at that hospital her entire life.

"I was born there. My kids were born there. My doctor is in that hospital. My blood work, my X-rays, everything, that's where I go."

Her husband Greg, who has been living with Maureen in Saskatoon, describes the situation as a "bureaucratic mess." 

Day trips aren't feasible for Maureen, 63, and Greg, 70, because the dialysis treatment takes about 4.5 hours and Saskatoon is more than a 600 km drive from their home. 

The McBratneys said officials in Saskatchewan have been sympathetic to their predicament. 

"I'm really hoping that somebody in Manitoba sees and hears this and makes a change," Maureen said. 

A spokesperson for Mantioba's provincial health authority said that current regulations, including professional licensing restrictions for physicians and staff, govern how and when provincial health care can be delivered to patients living in another province.

"While current regulations do not allow for Creighton residents to access ongoing dialysis care in Flin Flon, efforts are underway to explore future opportunities for collaboration with our Saskatchewan counterparts."