A traumatic emergency room experience at a South Okanagan hospital reached the floor of the BC Legislature, resulting in a call for the health minister to step down.
A mother, referred to as Sara, suffered a traumatic miscarriage at the Penticton Regional Hospital. She shared her story with another media outlet, which Shirley Bond, B.C.’s critic for health and MLA for Prince George-Valemont, referenced during the question period.
Bond called it a “horrific example and proof that the healthcare system in this province has collapsed.”
“A mother in her second trimester went to the Penticton regional hospital ER in excruciating pain. She was left alone for an hour and a half before being told to use the washroom where she miscarried her son,” said Bond during the question period.
“Sara said, this is Sara’s voice, not mine. ‘I went in there and gave birth to my son all by myself, screaming for help. I was just standing there in the bathroom by the wheelchair, and we had no help.’”
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Bond went on to say that even once Sara was placed in a room, she was left alone for hours.
“She waited again alone, traumatized and in shock,” said Bond.
While speaking, Bond stressed that this issue is not about blaming nurses or doctors.
“They are overwhelmed, they are demoralized, they are overloaded. This starts at the top and it starts with a minister who constantly fails. To acknowledge the crisis that we have in our province and fails to accept responsibility for the outcomes,” said Bond.
“We have a healthcare system that has collapsed. British Columbians like Sara and countless other ones deserve better, and the minister knows it.”
She is calling for immediate change and for the minister to step down.
“Something has to change, it is simply not acceptable,” said Bond.
“I am asking the minister today to acknowledge not only Sara’s pain but the situation that exists in this province. It is time he did the right thing. Something must change. It starts at the top.”
B.C.’s Health Minister Adrian Dix responded to Bond during question period.
“Every time this occurs, we need to review and make the system better, to respond better, to hear those voices,” said Dix during question period.
“That’s the reason why we have independent reviews of these processes to ensure that people get a sense of agency and voice and those reviews are initiated by people in cases exactly like this.”
Meanwhile, Global News reached out to Interior Health for more information and confirmation on whether there is an investigation into this incident and what that process will look like.
“Interior Health and our staff and physicians recognize that the loss of a child at any point in a pregnancy is traumatic and we are very sorry for this patient’s experience. Our thoughts are with her and her family during this difficult time,” said Interior Health in a statement.
“We can confirm that our Patient Care Quality Office (PCQO) is looking into the concerns she has raised to ensure they are reviewed thoroughly.”
According to Interior Health, the PCQO will gather information about an individual’s concerns and respond to them directly.
“Reviews by the PCQO will help inform improvements where appropriate,” said Interior Health.
Interior Health added that the PCQO is committed to providing a response to clients within 40 business days however complex cases like Sara’s may take longer.
