Dear Editor
I am writing this letter to tell you about an incident that happened to my husband and myself at the Maidstone Health Complex that could at any time happen to anybody else that goes there when they are sick and need to see a doctor.
March 6, my husband, Victor and I saw medical personnel at the Maidstone Clinic. We both were prescribed an antibiotic for this miserable cold that is going around. Vic has had a chronic cough for many years, and he caught the cold that is making the rounds. At one point he passed out a few seconds due to coughing. He passed out three times from 5 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. when he agreed to go to the Maidstone Health Complex. We were there before 8 p.m. The registered nurse in charge took his vitals, list of medications and the history of what has been going on and said she was going to make a phone call. At one point Vic asked her which doctor would be coming to the hospital. She told him there was no doctor coming, that the protocol is to call STARS Air Ambulance in Regina, give them the information and a physician there would decide what is best for the patient. There are four doctors in Maidstone and one nurse practitioner. I understand the nurse practitioner cannot admit anybody, but she can surely call one of the four doctors living in town. Calling Regina is "distance diagnosing." We were told it is how the complex has to operate after hours. Is that actually safe for any patient?
The nurse told us the STARS physician was going to change one of his nebulizer medications and he was to be woken up every four hours to go on the nebulizer machine. She said she would get that medicine ready for us and we could go home. I refused to take Vic out of the hospital due to how ill I felt he was. After some debate another phone call was made to Regina. The suggestion was I could take him home and if he had another fainting spell I could get him back there or call 911 and the ambulance would come and pick him up. I refused again. She made another call and said he could go to Lloydminster or North Battleford hospital. Vic chose Lloyd. She suggested I could take him by car since I had got him to Maidstone by car. I explained it takes eight minutes to get to the Maidstone Hospital from my house and it would take 45 minutes to go from Maidstone to the Lloydminster Hospital. What would I do if he started to cough and passed out in my car in the dark?
She called the ambulance. At Lloydminster Hospital, Vic was seen by a doctor in emergency, many tests were taken. He was admitted and the diagnosis was pneumonia. He spent five days in the ICU.
Why did I have to become adamant to get my husband the care he needed? I am in no way slamming the nursing staff, they are only doing what protocol is being dictated to them.
"Distance diagnosing" is not the answer for anybody. To me this is going completely backwards for health care in rural Saskatchewan. What will it take to make this change? Will it take a death or more than one, before somebody stands up for what is right and not just for convenience sake? Not having a doctor on call after hours is so wrong.
The outcome of this story could have been completely different if we had gone back home that evening.
I am hoping that some life lessons can be learned here about protocol in the Maidstone Health Complex to help somebody in the future with a similar situation. Lord help us all if this continues!
Beverly Hult
Waseca
