In Feb 2014 I collapsed and taken by ambulance to QCH by ambulance. I was in excruciating pain. I was pulled from ambulance bed and made to wait over 8 hours in regular emergency seating area. After a quick and demoralizing comment from the attending dr. who questioned if I was a drug addict I was sent home with pain killers…
Next day I am in and out of reality with excruciatring pain and taken by ambulance once again to QCH Once again I am sent home with pain killers. The next day I was again taken by ambulance to the QCH where my daughter refused to take me back home. I was no onger lucid, the pain unbearable and the treatment shown in QCH deplorable. I ended up with an infection that had gone from my blood to my bones and had amtastasized in my neck. Requiring Neuro-surgery at the Civic Hospital. I was in hospital two months, iv therapy for 6 months and needed pysio-therapy for effects of cervical spine surgery.
In August I suffered an irregular heart beat and went toQCH for treatment. They acknowledge I was miscoded in not having been seen within 5 m inutes… The CEO said this.
I said there seems to be a real bias against those who are perceived as mental health patients and that the four times I sought badly needed medical attention in the QCH ER I experienced this bias. I suffered long termn and devastating physical outcomes from this bias/attitude.
The CEO thanked me for my input when we met in Sept. 2014 and closed with “If you are looking for money you’ll have to taken it thru the courts!!” I almost lost my life, I certainly suffer from lingering effects and it was a clear message from the CEO – Sue us (If your up for it = my interpretatio).. The medical system in Canada is broken and the QCH is a great example of it…