Nurse waits hours at Ottawa hospital for appendix surgery
Canada’s medical system is in critical condition. Wait times have reached record highs, while staffing drops to new lows.
Rylan Haas, a nurse in Saskatoon who fell ill while on vacation, says he was faced with a painful wait at an emergency room in Ottawa.
It’s not the stay Haas expected when he travelled to a music festival in Ottawa over the Canada Day long weekend.
“Wednesday morning I woke up with a bunch of stomach pain and that pain migrated down into my lower right quadrant.” Haas told CTV News. “Being a nurse I suspected my appendix had ruptured so I came into the Ottawa general hospital. I got into emergency after seven hours and after 11 hours after being in emergency I saw a doctor then my first CT scan after 13 hours.”
Haas says it was another nearly half-day wait for a surgery, adding that the time it took to receive the needed care added anxiety to an already stressful experience.
I didn’t feel like my voice was being heard,” says Haas.
The Ottawa Hospital says it cannot provide comment on specific patient cases, but in a statement, highlights the staffing difficulties faced by hospitals across the country.
“The Ottawa Hospital, much like other hospitals across Ontario and Canada, is experiencing pressure on emergency department staffing levels due to COVID-related absences, vacations, staff fatigue and burnout,” the statement said.
“The pandemic has taken an incredible toll on health-care providers over the last two+ years. Staffing is often an issue in the summer months as health-care providers take well-earned and much needed time off – this is more challenging today as EDs face the cumulative effect of consecutive years of a pandemic along with planned vacations. Additionally, periodic COVID outbreaks continue to have an impact on available ED staff resources. We will continue adapting as needed to address these staffing challenges, and ensure that patients receive the care they need.”
A nursing shortage has forced some emergency room departments to close. The Perth Hospital ER has been closed for more than three weeks, which has pushed area residents to travel at least 20 minutes to Smiths Falls in order to receive care. It is expected to reopen on July 24.
“The pandemic really added fuel to the fire,” said Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses. “We were living in a nursing shortage pre-pandemic. We were advising government we need to work on training and recruiting and then the pandemic hit.
“So many nurses left the system or went casual because they couldn’t handle the workload. They were mandated to stay at work. They were abused and insulted every day and it wasn’t worth it.”
At a premiers meeting on July 11, Silas issued a call to action, including helping internationally educated nurses enter the Canadian medical system and maintaining retention of current staff.
“We were very happy when they urgently asked Prime Minister Trudeau to call a first ministers meeting, not another study an action plan,” says Silas. “We have to stop the bleeding. We can’t let another nurse, another doctor, another personal care worker leave the system.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.