Funeral for Abbotsford girl, 3, whose death sparks hospital review
Nimrat Gill died suddenly at hospital earlier this month
More than 200 mourners attended a funeral Sunday for a three-year-old girl who died suddenly at an Abbotsford hospital.
Nimrat Gill was taken to Abbotsford Regional Hospital Feb. 6 with a fever. But her parents say they were told to take her home and give her Tylenol.
Nimrat's condition deteriorated and she died the next morning after her parents brought her back to hospital.
The cause of death has not been determined but her family believes she was suffering from pneumonia.
"I think it's very important to be here," said Gary Tiwana, who knows the family. "What happened was very unfortunate.
"We are supporting them so that in the future something like that doesn't happen to any other family."
The Fraser Health Authority has launched a patient and safety review, which is customary when there is an unexpected death, the health authority said in a statement.
"This review will look at the care provided to the child, which will include a review of the cause of death," the statement said.
This is really sad. It's not just for us, for the community, it's for the whole of Abbotsford.- Daljit Sidhu, Nimrat Gill family friend
There is no timeline for when the review will be completed.
The girl's family says the day after Nimrat's first hospital visit she began vomiting. Her family took her back to emergency.
Her mother, Balraj Gill, told CBC she was made to wait for treatment. By the time doctors offered help it was too late, Gill said and Nimrat died that morning.
Balraj Gill spoke to CBC news last week about what she told a doctor.
"I'm telling him . . . her skin is changing colour too. I'm showing him why is this happening to her and she can't even speak properly and his answer was her body is fighting with [the] fever."
A family friend attending the funeral questioned whether the hospital has enough money and doctors.
"This is really sad," said Daljit Sidhu. "It's not just for us, for the community, it's for the whole of Abbotsford. If you really look back at it, it's terrible."
The family plans to file an official complaint to demand answers over Nimrat's death.
With files from Meera Bains.