In March, Terry Farrell of the Comox Valley was diagnosed with stage three metastasized melanoma after discovering a lump near his left collarbone.
After a few harrowing months, following numerous visits to various health-care facilities across the Island, the man underwent surgery on Sept. 6.
The procedures went smoothly, explained Farrell, and the medical staff successfully removed the cancerous mass. He walked out of the hospital with a wound that required 65 staples to close.
Unfortunately for him, several days later, his laceration necrotized and Farrell was told to return to the Royal Jubilee Hospital.
Back in the capital city, the man checked into the emergency room. After a long wait, he was moved to a room that left him feeling exasperated.
“When the nurses first moved me in… there was no bed because it's not even registered as a room in the hospital,” said Farrell in an interview with the Victoria News on Sept. 19. “It's a sunroom. This is just unacceptable.”
He noted the room lacked a call bell and running water. Without a washroom, Farrell was provided with a commode chair.
“(I was) somewhat disgusted. I mean, there's no dignity in having this chair.”
While Farrell recognized the staff's reasoning for their decision, he questioned the principle of placing patients in such conditions.
“I get why they put me here; I can walk to the washroom,” said Farrell. “The issue is that nobody should be in here. This is not a hospital room.”
Though Farrell repeatedly praised the nurses for their work and care, he stated the issues stemmed from deeper systemic failure, adding that such conditions are unacceptable in a province as wealthy as B.C.
“This province spends billions of dollars every year on healthcare,” said Farrell. “Where is that money going if it's not going toward the health care of the constituents? I can think of a whole lot of paychecks going to people who would never dare sit on a toilet like that, in a hospital room, and be asked to crap there for four days."
“If we're lacking the facilities, build the facilities and forget about bidding on the World Cup. Start taking care of your constituents.”
Hearing about Farrell’s experience, Adriane Gear, BC Nurses’ Union president, echoed his concerns. Although she couldn’t comment on this specific situation, she described it as substandard.
“It's very unfortunate,” Gear said. “I know nurses do their very best to still try to provide patients with as much dignity as possible and to protect their privacy, but it is less than ideal.”
Royal Jubilee's Room S723 has been highlighted in the news multiple times over the past few years for the same issues Farrell raised. Gear noted that, to this day, the health authority has not made any improvements to bring the room up to industry standards.
“I can confirm there's still no call bells [and] there's still no oxygen,” said Gear.
Noting the rapid growth and aging population in B.C. over the past decade, Gear mentioned these factors have placed additional pressure on a system that is already beyond its capacity.
However, Gear believes this does not justify placing patients in 'unconventional' rooms while awaiting or following treatment.
“The reality of nurses is that they are constantly challenged to provide the best care possible for their patients with limited resources,” said Gear. “It's concerning that the hospital continues to rely on unconventional spaces. We have more demands on the system than we have beds. What is the health authority doing to upgrade these spaces to make them appropriate for patients?”
Similar to Farrell, Gear argued this case represents larger systemic issues.
“This underscores the need to invest in health care,” said Gear. “At the end of the day, if society values health care, we need to continue investing in the publicly funded system. We need human resources, but we also need capital investments.”
After Farrell, who has been the Comox Valley Record editor for the past decade, said he planned to speak to the media, hospital staff transferred him to another room. Although he was able to advocate for himself, the man voiced concerns for those who might not have the same opportunity due to their medical conditions or fear of speaking out.
“If I just sat here and accepted it I wouldn't have been moved,” said Farrell. “I'm in a very fortunate position that I'm not so injured and not so sick that I can advocate for myself and I take that very seriously.”
The Victoria News has reached out to Island Health for comment.
“During the provincial election and interregnum period… health authority communications are limited to critical health and public safety information,” reads their email sent on Sept. 23. “While Island Health can not speak to confidential patient details, in general when patients are temporarily moved out of private rooms, we make every effort to move them back to a room as soon as possible.”
The Victoria News contacted the Ministry of Health but did not receive a response by the deadline.
