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Parties want heads to roll in HSC death

Grit, Tory leaders call for top health authority officials, minister to quit

By: Joe Paraskevas

8/02/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 10

The heads of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and Health Minister Theresa Oswald are now facing calls for their resignations in the wake of emergency-room bungling that cost Brian Sinclair his life.

Liberal Leader Jon Gerrard called Saturday for WRHA president Brian Postl and vice-president Brock Wright to step down following revelations that Sinclair had contact with several Health Sciences Centre staff while he waited 34 hours last fall for a simple procedure that would have saved his life.

Gerrard said the two men had failed in their responsibilities when they did not report crucial details following a review of Sinclair's death.

"The buck's got to stop somewhere," Gerrard said. "This is such a glaring omission in the way (the WRHA investigation into Sinclair's death) was handled, I don't see any alternative."

Hours after Gerrard's call for WRHA heads to roll, Progressive Conservative Leader Hugh McFadyen put the blame for the tragedy one step higher.

McFadyen said it should be Oswald, rather than the two WRHA officials, who should pay with her job. "The minister's credibility is in tatters," McFadyen said. "She can't be trusted to oversee the largest department in government."

McFadyen pointed to Oswald's past claims that Sinclair had not made himself known to officials at the HSC emergency room last September as proof of why she must step down.

He also demanded Premier Gary Doer apologize for making similar remarks himself.

Hospital security tapes released this week showed that Sinclair did, in fact, approach the triage desk.

The Free Press  reported on Saturday that  the province's chief medical examiner Dr. Thambirajah Balachandra  said Sinclair sat vomiting  in the Health Sciences Centre emergency room as hospital security staff tried to alert triage staff to his condition.

The 45-year-old double amputee was found dead in a wheelchair in the ER waiting room by a horrified member of the public Sept. 21, 2008. An autopsy showed he died of a bladder infection that could have been treated with a catheter change and antibiotics.

The province's chief medical examiner called an inquest into Sinclair's death Wednesday.

The WRHA has never disclosed that Sinclair was seen vomiting during his final hours, and up until Thursday, maintained Sinclair never approached the triage desk for care.

Instead, the WRHA insists Sinclair "fell through the cracks" of the medical system.

WRHA officials maintained Sinclair did not approach the triage desk to be registered in the queue to see a physician.

One day later, Wright watched the security videos and admitted they show Sinclair wheeled himself up to the line at the triage desk and spoke with a triage aide. Triage aides have training similar to health-care aides and are responsible for minor cleaning. They should also alert the triage nurse if a patient is in need of assessment.

Opposition politicians have sharply criticized the Doer government since the episode became public, but Gerrard was the first to demand Postl and Wright resign.

On Saturday afternoon, the WRHA rejected Gerrard's call for the resignations of Postl and Wright.

"Both Dr. Postl and Dr. Wright have a long record of exemplary service within the Winnipeg health region," said Allan Fineblit, vice-chairman of the WRHA board of directors.

"It is entirely inappropriate to make those kinds of comments without a full, fair and transparent examination of the facts. Following the regular scheduled meeting of the full board Tuesday, we will be issuing a more comprehensive statement on this topic."

McFadyen acknowledged Gerrard had reason to demand Postl's resignation.

"I agree with Dr. Gerrard that Dr. Postl has a credibility problem," McFadyen said.

But he added that all four officials -- Postl, Wright, Doer and Oswald -- should be held accountable.

"Practically speaking, they're all in the same position," McFadyen said. "The premier has to apologize. The minister has to be replaced.

"The precedent for hanging civil servants out to dry every time there is a problem in government is a problematic one.''

Late Saturday, Doer's office also rejected the call to remove Oswald.

"Quite simply, we are more concerned with finding out what went tragically wrong and fixing it rather than politicizing the issue," a spokesman said.

joe.paraskevas@freepress.mb.ca

 

 

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 8, 2009 A3

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10 Commentscomment icon

All good points. We need to stop politicising this issue and hold responsible those who had dealings with Mr. Sinclair himself, that would include triage desk staff, nursing staff etc. Perhaps a criminal negligence causing death charge would cause a few medical staff who think they are 'better than the rest of us' to think twice with their actions and responses.

I beleive that the health care professionals that were on staff during the time that Mr.Sinclair sat there and died because of their neclect should be fired and their licenses to practice should be taken from them when we go to the ER we do so with the trust that we will be taken care. I personally would be afraid to go an ER because of what happened to Mr. Sinclair and I'm sure many other people out there feel the same as I do. Edited.

Oswald, Doer, Wright and Postl should all be out of jobs, as should the triage nurse that day who chose to ignore Sinclair. They need to be held accountable. The fact that Postl "didn't feel the need to watch the tapes" shows that he just doesn't give a darn about what's happening. All should lose their jobs. If any regular joe made a huge mistake at work, there would be repercussions. You are no different. Fire them all.

I wonder if the board of directors of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority take any responsibility for what has taken place; perhaps Dr. John Wade could answer this question. I wonder how these doctors feel being judged by Dr. Jon Gerrard; a voice for Brian Sinclair.

Teresa Oswald is a simply a puppet. As far as Postl goes — he was in a position of power when 12+ babies were dying at the HSC at Dr. Odim's hands, he could have put and end to it but chose to turn a blind eye so HSC could become a well known centre for pediatric cardiac surgery. Once again lies and coverup coming back to bite them in the behind. Patient safety, accountability, openness, it's a joke. Walk the walk and talk the talk or get out.

For Joe Paraskevas: a great article. Thanks for the insight.

I want to know who was the senior person in triage that night. How many times do they need to hear someone urgently needs help. The last thing this poor man needed was to lose fluids as he VOMITS. I am absolutely appalled by the triage staff's performance. What do you call this? Negligence, manslaughter, what was going on in the triage system that failed this man. Forget the ministers for now... would you feel safe today going there for treatment?

Political bashing is exactly what I see happening here. Any and all people responsible for the death of Mr. Sinclair dying on their hospital waiting room floor should be held responsible and be given the proper discipline even if it means some people getting fired! Too often and sadly we see many patients waiting! From my understanding and experience as a waiting patient it's the level of importance of your health problem/injury that gets you into seeing a doctor quickly. "Their" schedule of importance is what gets you into getting your medical situation taken care of. All in all I think it's long over due for a new game plan on our hospital floors that will dictate to the patients not the staff!

Typical opposition B.S.: blame the government. The doctor at the Health Action Centre dropped the ball by not advising HSC that they were sending a patient. Everyone involved probably feels a little guilt but to blame Doer — give me a break. This is why the Conservatives and Liberals can't be effective; they sound like a bunch of Chicken Littles.

Gary Doer was happy to politicize the health care issue when he was in opposition. If I recall he politicized it to the extent it was his number one election plank. I voted NDP in that election on the basis of that one issue which he promised to quickly resolve. Back then, Doer correctly understood that politics is how our government works. The government messes up, the opposition and media reveal the mess-up, and voters turf the government out. That was what happened to the Tories. It is what will happen to the NDP if they don't get moving on this issue fast. On a related note, the Saskatchewan government has replaced most of the members of its various RHA boards, not because of covered-up scandals or dereliction of duty, but simply because their government felt a fresh set of eyes were needed to work on the problem.

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