'I've never felt so helpless in my entire life,' Moncton mother says after son's long wait for emergency care
A New Brunswick mother is concerned about how long it took for her one-year-old son in respiratory distress to be triaged at the Moncton hospital.
"I was helpless," Danielle Doyle said of her experience at the Moncton hospital on Tuesday night. "I've never felt so helpless in my entire life. I was angry."
She says they waited 50 minutes to be triaged and her Liam was later diagnosed with double pneumonia.
"I'm not angry at the health-care workers," Doyle said. "They're doing as much as they can at the moment. I'm angry with our government and what's put in place for systems currently."
Liam is now doing well with treatment, but Doyle says it could have been worse and something needs to be done.
Horizon Health issued a statement Thursday morning saying that hospitals are at more than 85 per cent capacity.
In their latest numbers, one hospital was listed at 110 per cent.
"Before the pandemic, we were seeing hospitals well over 100 per cent capacity," said Anthony Knight, the CEO of the New Brunswick Medical Society. "That means there are more patients than there are health-care staff and hospital beds."
The leader of the opposition is concerned that the province was not prepared for the fourth wave of COVID-19.
"The occupancy of hospitals is almost at the max or in some cases over the maximum," said Roger Melanson. "We already have a shortage of resources and burn out in nursing, and that has not been addressed by the government of New Brunswick."
The medical society says the best thing New Brunswickers can do right now to help with hospital capacity is to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
"Physicians are very concerned about the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital capacity," said Knight. "There are serious strains that we're seeing take place throughout the system."
Horizon Health turned down requests for an interview Thursday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.