A 37-year-old woman from Nova Scotia, Allison Holthoff, tragically passed away after a seven-hour wait in the emergency room at the Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre in Amherst. According to her husband, Gunter, Allison had been experiencing an upset stomach on December 31st and decided to seek medical attention the following morning when her condition worsened. Upon arriving at the hospital around 11am, Gunter stated that he had to carry her in on his back as she was in too much pain to walk.
She was triaged quickly, but unfortunately was then made to wait in the waiting room for several hours before receiving any medical attention.
Gunter reported that he had informed the nurses and the front desk staff multiple times that Allison’s condition was worsening, yet no action was taken. He recalls that security guards brought them blankets and a cup of water, which he used to put some ice on her lips, but this was the extent of the medical attention she received.
He also reported that Allison had begun to express that she thought she might be dying in the waiting room, but her fears were ignored.
After six hours of waiting, Allison was finally taken to a unit with no medical equipment. By this time, it was 6pm and she was finally able to see a doctor and receive some pain medication. However, her condition continued to deteriorate and she began to have trouble breathing.
As she was being prepped for an X-ray, her condition took a turn for the worse, and Gunter recalls that she had a cardiac arrest in the room. Despite attempts by the medical staff to resuscitate her, Allison passed away.
The family is still waiting for the results of an autopsy, but Gunter believes that this tragic event is a clear indication that the healthcare system has a serious problem that needs to be addressed. He stated that “We need change, the system is obviously broken. Or if it’s not broken yet, it’s not too far off. Something needs to improve.
I don’t want anybody else to go through this. ” He also added that he wishes his family hadn’t been “neglected” by the hospital and that their children had been able to say goodbye to their mother.
This tragic incident is a sobering reminder of the importance of timely and effective healthcare, and the devastating consequences that can result from a system that fails to provide it. It is crucial that steps are taken to address and improve the healthcare system to ensure that such a tragic event doesn’t happen again.
