The body of a deceased patient was left for two hours in a hangar at the Honoré-Mercier hospital in Saint-Hyacinthe on Saturday, a frequent but deplorable situation, according to a union of paramedics.
Posted at 5:57 p.m.
Updated at 6:28 p.m.
“It was 35 degrees Celsius in this old garage converted into an entrance for paramedics and their patients,” first indicated the Brotherhood of Quebec Prehospital Workers (FTPQ) in a publication posted on Facebook on Saturday.
“That place is where the ambulances come in with the patients. So all the patients who enter end up going through this door, seeing this show that is not very respectful for the family of the deceased or for the patients we are transporting, ”lamented, on Sunday, the vice-president of the FTPQ , David Gagnon.
Normally, hospital staff take care of patients taken by ambulance, he explains.
However, in this case, the person had already died when he arrived at the Honoré-Mercier hospital, said Sunday the Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS) of Montérégie-Est, which reports to the Establishment of Saint-Hyacinthe.
“The ER doctor was busy seeing patients waiting for treatment, and we had to wait for the coroner’s authorization to move the patient to the morgue. In addition, the room intended for deceased patients was already occupied,” explained the deputy director of organizational communications and media relations of the CISSS, Catherine Domingue.
The paramedics therefore had to leave the body of the deceased in the garage, “under cover”, an “exceptional situation”, she added.
“Our teams are concerned and caring towards our users and our partners. We are putting everything in place to prevent such a situation from happening again,” says Catherine Domingue.
A repeating situation
However, according to David Gagnon of the FTPQ, such situations, far from being exceptional, have occurred a dozen times since renovations to the hospital in 2019, despite repeated warnings from paramedics.
“Each time, we mention this problem and it is always repeated. The last time was last December,” he says.
According to him, the problem is partly attributable to the lack of manpower at the Honoré-Mercier hospital.
David Gagnon also defends the decision of the union, whose members have been negotiating for the renewal of their employment contract for two and a half years, to publish a photo of the body on the social network Facebook.
“We made sure that this patient was not recognizable, that there were no recognizable patients in the vicinity. Sure it’s shocking, but it was there in full view of all the paramedics. It’s like he was left in the hospital lobby,” he said.
An “untenable” situation
On Sunday, the office of the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, reacted by describing the situation as “untenable”.
“We understand that there is a serious lack of manpower in the network [de la santé], but this kind of situation should not happen. It’s a matter of respect for the deceased and his family,” said the minister’s press secretary, Marjaurie Côte-Boileau.
Verifications will be made with the CISSS de la Montérégie-Est to understand why such situations occur, she added.