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Thursday, November 17, 2022
‘Excruciating pain’: B.C. man waited 59 hours with broken hip for ambulance transfer by Jane Skrypnek
An 82-year-old Grand Forks man with a broken hip was left in intense pain for 59 hours as he waited for an ambulance to transport him to Trail for surgery, during the recent bout of snow. Marion Duralia said her father Frank Duralia was originally admitted to the Boundary District Hospital in Grand Forks on Sunday morning (Nov. 6) and was scheduled for surgery the same day at the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital – but the surgery had to be cancelled when it became clear there was no ambulance able to take him there. “Three or four times we were given different times. It never transpired,” Duralia told Black Press Media. Monday was the same. Numerous times Duralia and her father were told he was the next to go, and every time an ambulance failed to show.‘Excruciating pain’ In preparation for each potential surgery, Frank was forced to stop eating and drinking. Duralia said her father was given an IV and pain medication, but that he was in “excruciating pain” anytime he moved a little. And Frank wasn’t the only one enduring pain while waiting for an ambulance, Duralia said. “I could see other people also going through the same experience going through emergency, and I’m sure there are thousands of other cases out there.” Duralia said she spoke with other family members in the hospital and discovered some of them were choosing to drive their sick or injured loved ones to Trail themselves. The trip takes around an hour and 15 min-
Frank Duralia, 82, waited in a hospital bed at the Boundary District Hospital in Grand Forks with a broken hip for 59 hours before an ambulance transported him to Trail for surgery. Photo: Marion Duralia utes in good conditions, but can take have room for him to safely lay flat Duralia said she doesn’t blame the far longer when the mountain pass with his broken hip, but that she did health-care workers involved, who is covered in snow or ice as it was consider paying for a private service. she said were clearly doing their best, In the Kootenay Boundary region but that the quality of care her father Sunday and Monday. “Several took that risk, endanger- of Interior Health, however, private received was “unacceptable.” “We’re in a crisis. People are falling ing their lives and the lives of their medical transport services are not loved ones.” allowed to make inter-hospital trans- through the cracks.” The poor driving conditions were fers – a service available in other parts Where Duralia does place the blame the reason an ambulance wasn’t able of the province. is on the B.C. government and Health to transport Frank on Monday, BC Interior Health told Black Press Minister Adrian Dix. Emergency Health Services told Black Media it is not considering changing “I hold him responsible and acPress Media. its ambulance model at this time, but countable for this mess we’re in.” Dix spent Monday and Tuesday in Private services not allowed to make that a private service would not have inter-hospital transfers in Kootenay been appropriate for Frank’s injury, meeting with other provincial and Boundary regardless. Private services in other territorial health ministers and the Other family members at the Grand parts of the province are generally federal government in Vancouver. Forks hospital were looking into a pri- only used for low-risk transfers. The ministers had hoped to reach Frank was finally taken by an am- an agreement on an increase in healthvate medical transport service, Duralia found. She said she couldn’t drive bulance to Trail around noon Tues- care funding, but the feds withdrew her father herself because she didn’t day, where he later underwent surgery. from talks Tuesday afternoon without
Y A D 1 ! Y L ON GRAND FORKS
anything getting settled on. Dix has not responded to a request for comment as of publication. Loss of in-patient care means transfers as far as four hours away Newly sworn-in Grand Forks mayor Everett Baker and Boundary-Similkameen MLA Roly Russell said they have both been in touch with Duralia and are working with Interior Health and the province to come up with solutions. Baker said he met with Dix at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in September and invited him to visit Grand Forks to see its struggles first hand. The rural city has been without in-patient care since March due to a staffing shortage and has no maternity ward, leaving many patients with no other option but to traverse a mountain pass themselves or wait for an ambulance to take them to another hospital. Baker said the community usually has three ambulances, but if one of them has to make the trek to Trail and back, for instance, it could be gone for three hours. Since they lost their in-patient services, Baker said patients have been transferred as far as Kelowna (2.5 hours one way) or Kamloops (over four hours one way) depending on which hospital has a bed free. That means one of three ambulances could be occupied for up to eight hours for just one patient. If driving conditions are considered too dangerous, ambulances won’t make the trip at all. “The highways are not safe,” Baker said. He said he has no immediate solutions, but that he is determined to make his voice heard and ensure Grand Forks receives better care. “We need a solution now.”
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