Pregnant Norway House woman traumatized after 'nightmare' hospital visit
'No mother should have to go through hours of thinking their child is gone': grandmother
The family of a young mother in Norway House Cree Nation is accusing a northern Manitoba hospital of medical negligence and racism, turning what should have been one of the most joyful times of her life into a "nightmare."
Kaitlyn Albert, 18, was 40 weeks pregnant when she went to a routine appointment with her partner at Thompson General Hospital on Feb. 4, according to Dana Coates, Albert's mother-in-law.
In a phone call from the hospital following the appointment, Albert was led to believe the fetus wasn't breathing, Coates said.
"We lived through the worst possible grief, believing that we had lost our first grandchild," Coates said at a Friday news conference organized by Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin, which advocates for the needs of northern First Nations people in Manitoba.
"And yet, when they rushed back to the hospital, staff had no record of that call [and] no explanation that they had been told this. The baby was perfectly healthy," she said. "This wasn't just a mistake. This was a moment of pure devastation for our entire family."
Coates says the young couple were met with verbal abuse, neglect, racism and cruelty from medical staff at the Thompson hospital. She said a doctor yelled in her son's face after he asked a question, and told him that he would be at fault if anything happened to the baby.
The doctor also told the couple they didn't need an ultrasound, but later insisted they did need one, Coates said, adding the ultrasound technician refused to let her son into the room during the appointment.
"They were aggressive and rough with Kaitlyn, pushing down too hard on her belly and slamming things around in frustration."
Kaitlyn says no Indigenous woman should have to fight to be treated with respect in a hospital.
"I'm speaking out because no one should ever have to go through this again," she said at the news conference. "What we experienced was not health care — it was not care at all."
Albert was given a moss bag for her child at the news conference, a symbol of protection for the baby.
Her mother, Lynn Albert, says her daughter's first pregnancy was supposed to be a happy time.
"Instead, it turned into a nightmare that we will never forget," she said. "She told me, 'Mom, they said my baby isn't breathing.' I cannot describe the pain I felt in that moment."
The experience has hurt the young couple's trust in the health-care system, according to Lynn. It took days to persuade her daughter to go back to a hospital, but she eventually got the care she needed in Winnipeg.
Lynn says First Nations mothers shouldn't be made to feel like a burden in the health-care system: "No mother should have to go through hours of thinking their child is gone."
Hospital review needed: councillor
Deon Clarke, a councillor for Norway House, says many First Nations people in northern Manitoba have been traumatized by the health-care system.
"They're afraid to enter these facilities because they're scared to be mistreated," he said.
He wants Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara, the Northern Regional Health Authority and the hospital to do something about the person "who traumatized this family."
"We need a review of the hospital's services, the way doctors deliver care there," he said. "This ain't 1950. This is 2025."
In a statement, Asagwara said every Manitoban deserves dignity and respect when accessing health care, and touted the provincial government's support for efforts to create anti-racism training and education for health-care workers.
A spokesperson for the Northern Health region said they could not share information about a patient's experience for privacy reasons, but encouraged anyone with concerns to contact their patient experience department.
Dr. Barry Lavallee, CEO of Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin — which represents about two dozen First Nations in northern Manitoba — says health-care providers who hold biased views against First Nations people should quit their jobs.
"We don't need you. We don't want you," Lavallee said at the news conference. "Do not make money off of our needs … We don't want to continue to pay your mortgage and your future, and then get this kind of care."
He said the interaction between Albert and staff was tainted with racism. Hospital staff should have reassured the mother that her baby was OK, he said.
"The way the information was delivered to this family, she thought her baby was dead and not breathing, full stop."
With files from Gavin Axelrod