Senior says he spent nearly 60 hours in a Vancouver hospital hallway after surgery

Last month Mike Mangan underwent emergency surgery to have his gallbladder removed at Vancouver General Hospital. He praised the doctors for their hard work and care.

“He and his residents were terrific,” said Mangan. “No complaints about the doctors.”

After surgery, Mangan was told he needed to be moved into a hallway while he recovered. The 70-year-old provided photos to CTV News showing his bed with a curtain around it. Other patient beds could also be seen in the hallway.

“It was like some form of torture,” said the 70-year-old. “Constant noise, lights going on and off, I had no call bell, my curtains kept getting brushed so people walking past looked at me.”

Mangan says the noise and lack of privacy made it nearly impossible to get any rest.

“I almost had no sleep. If I fell asleep, an alarm went off,” said Mangan.

He also claims he voiced his discomfort and pleaded with staff to move him to a quieter area. He told CTV News his bed was positioned so close to a nursing station that he could hear their conversations.

“I’m listening to the staff talk about their mortgage problems, their vacation plans, their Black Friday deals,” said Mangan. “I thought it was terrible. The nurses did the bare minimum.”

Vancouver Costal Health told CTV News that hospitals in the region are dealing with a high volume of patients right now due to the respiratory illness season.

“VCH has established systems in place to manage patient volumes, including local and regional surge plan protocols, which help maximize health-care capacity based on patient acuity,” read part of the statement.

B.C.’s newly appointed Minister of Health Josie Osborne sent a statement to CTV News.

“This has been an extremely difficult experience for both this patient and his family,” said Osborne. “I encourage patients and family members to bring their concerns forward to the Patient Care Quality Office, so they can help identify how the health care system can be improved.”

Mangan was eventually moved to a quieter area of the hospital and is now recovering at his Vancouver home. He says he’s sharing his story in hopes VGH makes major improvements to patient care.

“I’m 70. I’ve been in hospital a number of times. I’ve worked there as an orderly as an undergrad student and I’ve never encountered anything like this. Never,” said Mangan.