Canada Medical System
Jun 12th 2001, 10:15 pm
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Link: http://www.indiaabroaddaily.com/2001...11surgery.html
Indo-Canadian mother loses baby due to surgery delay Ajit Jain, Toronto June 11, 2001
11:28 Hrs (IST)
24-year-old woman of Indian origin lost her baby after her routine caesarean section
was delayed by two days due to shortage of beds at a Canadian hospital.
Surjit Goraya, 24, apparently in good health, was in her 41st week of pregnancy,
published reports say. Her family doctor Ismail Abrahams had scheduled a caesarean
delivery for June 4 at the Surrey Memorial Hospital in British Columbia.
When she went to hospital, the delivery was postponed because there was no bed
available. It was postponed for a second time too on grounds that she was not an
emergency case. But the delay allegedly resulted in the baby's death.
According to the Globe and Mail and the National Post, Goraya felt at one point that
the fetus had stopped moving. She was then rushed to Surrey Memorial Hospital, near
Vancouver, but it was too late. A caesarean was done, but the baby was stillborn.
"If the operation is planned and not an emergency, it will often be done just before
the 42nd week," obstetrician Dr. John Turner was quoted as saying.
Lucie Baistrocchi, communications director at the hospital, reportedly said that
until the moment the woman complained the absence of movement by the baby, hospital
staff had no reason to suspect an emergency.
She said the postponement was necessary because all the beds for surgeries were full
on two days.
But Lofretta Solomon, vice-president of Surrey Health Services, disagrees. She
reportedly said the hospital had enough beds to handle the flow of maternity cases.
Goraya's family wants answers to the tragedy. Ruby, Goraya's sister-in-law, was
quoted as saying, "We lost a baby and we don't know why. We were harmed and we don't
want this happening to any other family."
Said B.C. Health Services Minister Colin Hansen: "If there are issues in terms of
access to beds, if there are issues in terms of identifying a mother that is at risk
in delivery... then, we have to find out how we can correct the system. We owe it to
the family."
Indo-Asian News Service
Indo-Canadian mother loses baby due to surgery delay Ajit Jain, Toronto June 11, 2001
11:28 Hrs (IST)
24-year-old woman of Indian origin lost her baby after her routine caesarean section
was delayed by two days due to shortage of beds at a Canadian hospital.
Surjit Goraya, 24, apparently in good health, was in her 41st week of pregnancy,
published reports say. Her family doctor Ismail Abrahams had scheduled a caesarean
delivery for June 4 at the Surrey Memorial Hospital in British Columbia.
When she went to hospital, the delivery was postponed because there was no bed
available. It was postponed for a second time too on grounds that she was not an
emergency case. But the delay allegedly resulted in the baby's death.
According to the Globe and Mail and the National Post, Goraya felt at one point that
the fetus had stopped moving. She was then rushed to Surrey Memorial Hospital, near
Vancouver, but it was too late. A caesarean was done, but the baby was stillborn.
"If the operation is planned and not an emergency, it will often be done just before
the 42nd week," obstetrician Dr. John Turner was quoted as saying.
Lucie Baistrocchi, communications director at the hospital, reportedly said that
until the moment the woman complained the absence of movement by the baby, hospital
staff had no reason to suspect an emergency.
She said the postponement was necessary because all the beds for surgeries were full
on two days.
But Lofretta Solomon, vice-president of Surrey Health Services, disagrees. She
reportedly said the hospital had enough beds to handle the flow of maternity cases.
Goraya's family wants answers to the tragedy. Ruby, Goraya's sister-in-law, was
quoted as saying, "We lost a baby and we don't know why. We were harmed and we don't
want this happening to any other family."
Said B.C. Health Services Minister Colin Hansen: "If there are issues in terms of
access to beds, if there are issues in terms of identifying a mother that is at risk
in delivery... then, we have to find out how we can correct the system. We owe it to
the family."
Indo-Asian News Service
