More people are coming forward with complaints about the condition of Halifax’s Victoria General Hospital after a cancer patient compared them to those in a third-world country.
Cynthia O’Connell said her room was dirty, the food was inappropriate, the temperature unbearable and the water wasn’t to be used for drinking or washing.
She also said she would have received better care had she stayed in Vietnam, where she was living at the time of the devastating diagnosis.
Inspired by O’Connell’s story, a woman who lost her husband to cancer a few weeks ago is sharing her own.
June Feswick says she took her husband of 27 years out of the facility and brought him home so he could at least die in a clean environment.
She says she was horrified to find dirt on the floor of her husband’s room while he was seeking treatment at the Victoria General Hospital, so she decided to scrub it off herself.
“I took a knife and scraped the rest off in a corner and I took a photograph of it,” says Feswick. “Behind the toilet in the bathroom was disgustingly filthy.”
Feswick says she sent a photo of the dirt in an email to hospital officials. They told her they knew there was a problem and they were working on it.
Nova Scotia is nearing the end of a provincial election campaign and politicians are now weighing in on the matter.
Health and Wellness Minister Dave Wilson says the Centennial Building needs to be torn down and replaced.
“I’m sure that our people are there cleaning any deficiencies that might have been noted through the complaints that have come forward,” he says.
Nova Scotia Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil says, if elected, he would take another approach.
“We need to look at what is the long-term plan,” says McNeil. “Is it a retrofit or renovation of the existing building? Or do we look at providing another healthcare facility in and around the capital region that provides that service efficiently and effectively?”
Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Leader Jamie Baillie says the housekeeping problems reinforce his position that money has to be moved out of administration into the front lines of health care.
“The story that Miss O’Connell told yesterday is one that makes us cry at what we put our sickest Nova Scotians through,” says Baillie.
Capital Health officials insist they have high standards but there is only so much that can be done with a building that is almost 50 years old.
“It’s an older facility and despite what we may do to clean it and keep it up, it looks kind of grungy and worn,” says John Gillis, a spokesperson for Capital Health.
Chris Power, the president and CEO of Capital Health, says she too has concerns about the aging building.
“I would be proud of the care that was provided there, but if it was an option, I think I’d prefer to be in another building,” says Power.
Health officials say long-standing problems at the hospital can only be solved with a completely new structure.
However, Feswick doesn’t buy into arguments that the building is the problem, saying even old buildings can be kept clean.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ron Shaw
