An elderly woman who was transported between Cape Breton hospitals last week by taxi has succumbed to her illness, sparking a heated reaction from her family.
Joe Young's 92 year-old mother spent several hours in outpatients at the Glace Bay General Hospital. She started having chest pains, but Young says she was told she would have to go to the Cape Breton Regional in Sydney
It’s a decision that Young says remains upsetting.
“I feel that her life the last couple of days could've been much better,” Young says.
To make matters worse, Young was told his mother would have to take a cab because there were no ambulances available to transport her.
Young believes that played a role in her death, as it added to her stress level.
“She thought it was terrible to be put in a taxi to take her from one hospital to the other,” says Young. “When she was left sitting in the wheelchair in Glace Bay, she even said, ‘I guess I'm going to die in a wheelchair.’”
An EHS spokesperson confirmed an ambulance was in fact available at the time, adding to Young's anger. He has already began to the process to file a formal complaint against the Nova Scotia Health Authority with help from NDP MLA Tammy Martin.
They’re hoping it will help ensure this never happens to anyone else again.
"Because of the lack of attention to the health care crisis, we have patients, residents of Nova Scotia now dying,” Martin says.
Rallies have been held about doctor shortages, hospital closures, wait times and the overall state of health care in Cape Breton. But the provincial government is still not saying there’s a crisis.
“While there are opportunities to present where there may be challenges in the health care system, there are many, many areas where it's operating very well for Nova Scotians,” says Nova Scotia Health Minister Randy Delorey.
Delorey did not say whether he's been looking into this matter, only that he’s received preliminary information at this point.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore.
