'I'm scared she's going to die': Family concerned over non-COVID-19 emergency treatment at St. Boniface Hospital
A medical emergency that sent one Winnipeg woman to the St. Boniface Hospital has left her family with concerns after they said she has now spent three days alone waiting for surgery, with no end in sight.
Kimberley Hanson was rushed to the emergency room Monday morning around 8 a.m. by her husband after experiencing chest pains.
“I'm worried that my mom is alone, scared. Nobody's allowed to see her,” said Stephanie Reinheimer, Hanson’s daughter.
The situation was worrisome for the family as Hanson had a history of heart issues and was soon going for consultation on possible bypass surgery.
Reinheimer said she had an EKG when she first arrived at the hospital and blood work was drawn, but that was really all that was done before seeing a doctor about 12 hours later.
The news was not good. One of her arteries was fully closed, three others were 90 per cent closed and surgery was required.
Reinheimer said surgery was supposed to happen the following day, but on Tuesday she said the family was informed the doctor was not available, so the procedure would have to wait until Wednesday.
They are still waiting.
“And after speaking with my mother today, she still has not seen the doctor or anything,” said Reinheimer. “I'm scared she's going to die before the surgery would happen.”
An added concern is the lack of visitation rights despite family members being fully vaccinated.
“To have somebody have to go through a quadruple bypass by themselves, and nobody's giving updates when we try to call and figure this out, it’s stressing me, it's stressing my dad out and stressing my mom out even more,” Reinheimer said.
To alleviate some of those stresses for families, Reinheimer said improved communications between hospital staff and patient families could go a long way.
“I think that is something that people need to understand that, you know, loved ones are sitting at home stressing just as much as the person who's in the hospital and stressing,” Reinheimer said.
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) tells CTV News it cannot comment publicly on individual cases, but strongly encourages anyone with a concern or questions about their care to contact patient relations.
While Reinheimer understands COVID-19 has strained the health-care system, she said something should be done to avoid priority patients, like those with heart issues, having to spend 12 hours in a waiting room before seeing a doctor.
“This should not be happening to people, especially the elderly, that’s majorly what I want to put out there that, you know, things need to change in the health system badly, especially here in Manitoba.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Former Air Canada employees among suspects identified in gold heist at Pearson Airport: police
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year, Peel Regional Police said Wednesday.
MPs summon ArriveCan contractor to the House to be admonished in rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
'Enormous sum of money': Actor Hugh Grant settles privacy lawsuit against tabloid
British actor Hugh Grant has settled a lawsuit against the publisher of Rupert Murdoch's tabloid newspaper, The Sun, over claims journalists used private investigators to tap his phone and burgle his house, he said on Wednesday.
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archaeological site in southwest France.
O.J. Simpson was chilling with a beer on a couch before Easter, lawyer says. 2 weeks later he was dead
O.J. Simpson's last robust discussion with his longtime lawyer was just before Easter, at the country club home Simpson leased southwest of the Las Vegas Strip. About a week later, on April 5, a doctor said Simpson was 'transitioning.'
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
U.K. plan to phase out smoking for good passes first hurdle
The British government's plan for a landmark smoking ban that aims to stop young people from ever smoking cleared its first hurdle in Parliament on Tuesday despite vocal opposition from within Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party.
Father of boy accused of stabbing 2 Australian clerics saw no signs of extremism, Muslim leader says
The father of a boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics in Australia saw no signs of his son’s extremism, a Muslim community leader said on Wednesday as police began arresting suspected rioters who besieged a Sydney church demanding revenge.