SASKATOON — Royal University Hospital is at the centre of controversy again over hallway medicine and conditions for patients there.
The Opposition New Democrats staged a media availability Tuesday in which leader Carla Beck was joined by Anne Fournier. Fournier had spent several days in the hallway adjacent to the emergency room at Royal University Hospital last month, after being admitted for severe stomach pain.
Beck said Fournier was “left in a crowded hallway without any privacy, unable to sleep, as you can imagine, because the hallways are crowded and the lights are always on and there are people, including members of the public, going past constantly.”
But Beck said what particularly stood out was that on a couple of occasions, “Anne witnessed in full view grown men, no fault of their own, using urinals without any privacy because there was no access to washrooms.”
“As you can imagine, this was an embarrassing and humiliating situation for everyone involved, and it's not the health care that anyone should expect, especially here in Saskatchewan. It's not dignified, it's not acceptable, and it simply shouldn't be happening.”
Fournier spoke further about the conditions she experienced.
She said she was “placed right next to the surgical recovery rooms, and patient holding, and I watched as hospital staff transporting vulnerable ICU patients struggled to cram their beds and life-saving equipment through what was a filthy high-traffic hallway.”
“The entire time I spent in this hallway, not once did someone come and clean it. I even took photos on my cell phone, because I was shocked and disgusted by the state of our hospitals. I could barely sleep, because they always kept the lights on, 24-7, and there was constant loud banging from the ER door all through the night.”
On top of that, she said, “there was a big, large clump of fluff next to my bed, which contained people's hair and other things, along with other litter such as paper, candy wrappers. It made it extremely difficult to rest, and it made me feel very uncomfortable.”
The worst part, Fournier said, was the lack of privacy.
There was “no washroom near where they placed us, and because most people were unable to walk, I had to watch as two grown men had to urinate next to me with portable urinals, in full view of us in the hallway and anybody else who happened to be walking past.
“It was disgusting, and not at all what I imagined to see when getting health care in Saskatchewan.”
Fournier said she herself had to walk at length to the toilet available to her. “This was actually a public washroom, it wasn't for patients, and itself was unclean and dirty.
“I experienced firsthand that there is no more dignity in our health-care system.”
Fournier said she even overheard “one of the student nurses say that as soon as she graduates, she's leaving the province. The state of public health care is shameful, and nothing seems to be done.”
Beck said Fournier reached out to Minister of Health Jeremy Cockrill about the conditions while she was still in the hallway at the hospital.
“She got an automatic reply from the Minister, but weeks later she's still waiting for a real reply to her concerns, and I think that says unfortunately a lot about how the (Scott) Moe government is treating people who are trying to be heard in this province right now, and I do want to thank all of those who are speaking up, who are saying this is not acceptable, because it's not. People in this province deserve better.”
Fournier confirmed she emailed various parties, including Cockrill.
“Unfortunately, no one from the Saskatchewan Party, or Jeremy Cockrill, responded to me or any of my concerns. We need to be doing everything we can to fix healthcare, because what I went through, and what so many people went through, it's not acceptable anymore.”
The latest controversy over hallway conditions at RUH follows on the heels of a viral video on social media last fall of overcrowded hallways at the hospital, including concerns raised by the province's nurses over the situation. A number of stories circulated at that time of patients having to endure stays of multiple days in the hallway at the hospital.
Minister Cockrill responds
In a statement, Cockrill said: “Privacy legislation prevents me from publicly discussing the care provided to individual patients. I can confirm that I received Ms. Fournier’s correspondence and will be responding to her directly.”
In Cockrill’s statement, he said extended stays in hospital hallways are “not the experience we want for any Saskatchewan patient.” He said his government is “listening to patients and healthcare workers and their feedback informed our Patient’s First Healthcare Plan which includes detailed next steps for improving access to hospital, emergency and urgent care.”
He pointed to work being done to expand inpatient capacity in Saskatoon hospitals by 146 beds, including the addition of 24 new beds at St. Paul’s Hospital, 36 beds at Royal University Hospital and 69 new acute care beds at Saskatoon City Hospital.
Cockrill also said construction of Saskatoon’s first urgent care centre is more than 70 per cent complete. Once open, he said, it will “give patients an alternative to the emergency department for health concerns that are urgent but non-life-threatening.”
Cockrill also pledged the government will “continue to put patients first by opening more hospital beds and creating new access points for urgent care so that patients get the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”
