Truemors
Man Dies in Winnipeg Emergency Room after waiting 34 Hours 
Is this what socialized health care would bring?
A man who was in the same hospital waiting room as Brian Sinclair says he told nurses and security workers he was concerned about Sinclair -- but says he was told they were too busy to check on him.
Brian Sinclair, 45, died while waiting 34 hours for care at the Health Sciences Centre in what some are now calling the worst emergency room failure in Manitoba's history.
The witness -- who spoke to CTV News on the condition his identity be withheld -- said he was in the waiting room Friday evening. Sinclair, who had previously had both his legs amputated, was sitting nearby in a wheelchair. He looked like he was sleeping.
The witness said when he returned to the waiting area the next night, the man was sitting in the exact same position and looked like he hadn't moved, so he decided he should tell someone.
"I don't think he's asleep, so we went to tell a nurse." said the witness, who was there with his wife. "The nurse said we'll go and check, [but] nobody ever went and checked on him. We waited another hour or so and we told another nurse twice to go and check." The witness said the nurse told him she was too busy and couldn't check right away.
The witness claims he told a security officer of the man's condition, but said the guard told him the case would be "too much paperwork."
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (2)
at 09:36 on September 26th, 2008
The man who died never registered with the ER desk when he arrived, so they didn't know that he was looking to be seen by a doctor, instead he just went inside and sat down in the waiting room. Since the waiting room is always filled with people who are accompanying others to the ER, by people in the hospital looking for a place to sit, and by homeless people who are looking for shelter from the outside, the staff didn't realize that he wanted to see a doctor.
at 13:50 on January 20th, 2009
that doesn't matter. whether he was a patient or not, it is our duty to follow up on concerns raised by bystanders, family members, etc. it should raise red flags when lay people can tell something is wrong with a patient.