A senior from Kennetcook, N.S., who is desperate for abdominal surgery says she’s had her operation cancelled and rescheduled three times since July.
Gloria MacDonald needs a hernia repair, but says she’s been getting the runaround from the Colchester East Hants Health Centre for too long.
“Right now, I have no faith in the present medical setup,” says MacDonald.
The 70-year old’s children share her frustration. MacDonald’s daughter has to take extra time off work, and her son, Darrell MacDonald, books an accessible room at a hotel so he can stay and care for his mom.
“When I get the cancellation, I have to turn around and tell the hotel I don't need the room and they get after me about the 24-hour notice, but I am like, ‘Yeah, I just found out five minutes ago,’” Darrell says.
Gloria MacDonald says she was in the hospital waiting room at one point when the surgeon got called away on an emergency. But her frustration hit a new level this week when her operation was rescheduled because a recovery bed wasn't available.
“Excuse me, no bed? You've got an OR bed, why don't you have a recovery bed?” asks MacDonald.
On Friday, a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Health Authority explained they make every effort to avoid postponing surgeries, but it does happen for several reasons, including a lack of beds.
“We must prioritize our surgical cases, so in the rare situations that multiple postponements do occur, it is after careful consideration of our options, and typically to give priority to cancer patients,” the health authority said in a statement to CTV News.
But MacDonald says the delay has caused her hernia to grow, causing more discomfort with every day that passes.
“I lifted it up one day and put a set of bathroom scales under it just for curiosity sake to see how much it weighed. Over five pounds,” she says.
The family got a call late Friday afternoon telling them the procedure has been prioritized, which MacDonald hopes reduces the chances of it being scratched again.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kelland Sundahl.
