'We had no help': Woman shares story of miscarrying at B.C. hospital
A Penticton, B.C., woman says hospital staff left her alone for hours before her miscarriage, and she couldn't find anyone to answer her cries for help.
Speaking from what was supposed to be her baby's nursery, the woman, who asked to be referred to by the pseudonym Sara, told the story of how she arrived at Penticton Regional Hospital on the night of Sept. 3, only to be left waiting.
"I was obviously having contractions," Sara said in an interview with Castanet News. "At that point we knew we would probably miscarry our son, but we had no help."
There was no help, she said, despite her midwife calling ahead and warning staff she was coming and that the outlook wasn't good. Sara said she waited for an hour-and-a-half in an empty waiting room before being told she could miscarry in a bathroom.
Fighting back tears, Sara explained: "I was just standing there in the bathroom by the wheelchair with my son hanging out of me and we had no help."
When she did get a room, Sara says she waited again – this time covered in blood and with only her partner by her side as she delivered the afterbirth.
Sara continued, "There was no human decency, there was no emotion, no sorry for my loss."
Sara's story was shared in the B.C. legislature Thursday as the latest example of a health-care system in crisis. A shortage of staff, burnt out nurses and doctors, and long waits at emergency rooms are plaguing hospitals.
Responding to a question about the incident, Health Minister Adrian Dix said: "Obviously, in a case such as this, the grief, the sense of loss of individuals is profound. Every time this occurs — every time this occurs — we need to review and make the system better."
Shirley Bond, Liberal MLA and health critic, said when she heard about the story, she almost couldn't finish reading it. Yet, she told CTV News, she felt it was important.
"From my perspective, this is just one case. Day after day we hear how difficult it is for people to get the care they need and deserve," Bond added.
In a statement, Interior Health's Jonathan Clare, interim executive director for clinical operations, community and acute for the South Okanagan, apologized for Sara's experience, although the statement doesn't name her directly. He added the patient care quality office is looking into her concerns and would report back in 40 business days.
Sara has filed an official complaint, and said she wants to highlight her experience so other women don't have to go through a similar experience alone.
"I'm doing this for my son, and the other women out there who didn't feel like they could speak up."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
Man accused of killing two children at Quebec daycare to stand trial in April 2025
The man accused of murdering two children and injuring six others after a city bus crashed into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to stand trial over five weeks beginning in April 2025.