A photo of 72-year-old Edward Guenther was shared widely on social media last week, prompting renewed outrage about the state of Saskatchewan healthcare after 20 years of Sask. Party failures.
“First, there weren’t enough rooms, forcing patients to lay for days in the hallways — now, there aren’t even enough beds and patients are being left writing in pain on hospital floors,” said Keith Jorgenson, Associate Shadow Health Minister.
“Every single piece of evidence points to healthcare being in worse shape than ever. Still, despite this, the Sask. Party claims to have a plan to put patients first. Tell that to Edward Guenther and his family.”
Guenther first sought medical care on Sept. 9 at 8 p.m. when he was found on the street after he had suffered a seizure. Around 4 a.m. on Sept. 10, the hospital attempted to contact his daughters to pick him up. When they were not available, they sent him home in a cab. Guenther was extremely disoriented and still requiring medical care.
On Sept. 13, Guenther called his daughters stating he could not be alone; they took him back to RUH yet again. This time, while waiting for 14 hours to see a doctor, Guenther repeatedly asked to lie down. The only option was for him to lay down on the floor of the hospital waiting room. His daughters used thin hospital blankets to create a makeshift bed for him on the floor where he slept for about two hours before he was finally able to be moved into a stretcher in a hallway.
In a written statement, Guenther’s daughter Angela, said:
“Since sharing my dad’s story on social media, I have heard from many other people who have shared difficult and heartbreaking healthcare experiences of their own. That deserves attention. We need to have serious conversations about what people are experiencing, why situations like these are happening, and what can be done to improve care. I am sharing this because my dad’s experience matters, but this is not only about my dad. It is also about the other patients and families who are struggling to get the care they need.”
This story comes directly on the heels of the tragic death of 30-year-old Kirsten Hanke who died just one month ago at RUH from complications arising from a broken ankle, when her surgery was postponed due to short staffing.
“It was nearly one year ago that hundreds of healthcare workers at this exact hospital penned a letter to the Minister warning him that something bad was going to happen, because the conditions at RUH were dangerous,” Jorgenson said.
“Something bad has happened — over and over. Dangerous, preventable healthcare tragedies continue to happen every day at RUH and across Saskatchewan. And what does the Minister have to say about it? Only that he is aware there are ‘gaps.’ ”
“That simply is not good enough. People are dying. The Minister should be fired for gross incompetence and gross negligence. He’s not up for the job.
“Saskatchewan used to lead the nation in healthcare and we can do it again, but not with these guys in charge.
“It’s time for change.”
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