A pair of Montreal-area seniors are striking out Quebec’s health system After an experience that left them feeling upset and humiliated.
The couple say they had to wait for hours at the hospital, even though the doctor they were waiting for had left.
“I find it very inconsiderate and unprofessional,” said Karen Williams, a 72-year-old Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac resident.
Karen and her husband Brian Williams say their negative experience with the health system began on March 29 when Brian woke up in the middle of the night.
“I was having trouble breathing, so we called 911,” said Brian, 75.
The couple, who have been together for more than 50 years, were rushed to Saint-Eustache hospital where X-rays revealed that her stomach was pressing on her lungs.
He says Saint-Eustache referred him to a thoracic specialist at Sacre Coeur Hospital in Montreal, and he was given an appointment for April 9.
“They didn’t tell us the doctor’s name, didn’t tell us any location, just to be in the hospital,” Karen said.
They arrived an hour early to make sure they had time to park and get their luggage. He said that many staff members were rude and unhelpful as he tried to find his way.
“It took an hour, three different floors and five different people to figure out which clinic to go to and which doctor to see,” Karen said.
Nevertheless, he arrived at 12:15 pm for his 12:45 pm appointment and sat and waited. And waited…
“(So,) 2:15 came and nobody said a word. Other patients who were there before us haven’t been called,” Karen said.
They were about to run out of parking, so Karen decided to ask how long it would take so she could know what to do with their car.
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“The response I got was, very politely, ‘Oh, the doctor was called in for an emergency and we don’t know how long he’ll be there,'” he said.
Williams says he understands that emergencies take priority, but he doesn’t understand why no one informed him that the doctor wasn’t even there, and why there was no timetable for his return. .
“Use your brain, feel your heart and go meet people,” Brian said. “How long will it take, two minutes?”
“There’s no way people should be sitting there for two and three hours and not be informed about the situation,” Karen said. He believes that he should have been given a chance to reschedule.
Patient rights advocate Paul Brunet says he hears similar stories often.
“Sometimes I wonder if a lot of those caregivers haven’t given up after all the crises they’ve gone through,” Brunet told Global News.
He says that such incidents create skepticism towards the health system.
“You know, be a little more kind. That is not expensive. We don’t need millions of dollars to do this,” Brunet said.
A spokesman for the CIUSSS du Nord de l’Île de Montréal, the regional health authority that oversees Sacre Coeur, said he could not comment on specific cases.
“If it has not already been done, users can contact the Local Grievance Commissioner at any time to request assistance or make a complaint. This body is independent and its services are free and confidential,” said Beatrice Gaugain.
Karen Williams said she has filed a complaint before, noting it is her first frustration with the health system.
“I have been waiting for two years for surgery for a brain aneurysm,” she said.
After consulting with his family doctor he learned that Brian had a hiatal hernia that needed attention.
The therapist helped him get an appointment at McGill University Health Centre, where they hoped to figure out how to get him out of danger.
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