ER staff should have helped, says Quebec man stranded outside hospital with sudden paralysis

Louise Martineau still remembers her state of panic as she stood three metres from the doors of the emergency department at a Quebec City hospital, unsure how she would get her husband inside.

Earlier that evening, on Sept. 12, 2024, 73-year-old Philippe de Passillé felt an onset of pain on the left side of his stomach, under his chest, which quickly spread to his thigh and leg.

His leg got worse and by the time the couple made it to Enfant-Jésus-CHU de Québec hospital, he said the limb was "completely paralyzed."

Martineau was trying to figure out how she would transfer her more than 250-pound husband from the car and into a wheelchair after emergency room staff told her that outside the hospital walls, they couldn't provide assistance. 

"I'm 72 years old and I'm only five feet," said Martineau. "These things have never happened to me."

Despite pleading with staff at the reception desk for help, Martineau says they refused — something the couple only later found out went against hospital protocol.

"Louise parked just next to the emergency door," said de Passillé. "We were traumatized by this situation."

Having to rely on the help of a Good Samaritan who stepped in to offer a hand, the couple has since brought forward a complaint against the hospital.

Following de Passillé's recovery and rehabilitation after spending weeks in the hospital, he plans on bringing a complaint to Quebec's ombudsman to highlight the need for all hospital staff to be trained on emergency protocols to prevent similar situations.

Report cites staff's 'confusion' over their obligations

At the end of December, the service quality and complaints commissioner for the hospital filed a report on the incident and made two recommendations, expressing "deep empathy" for the couple.

"I understand how challenging it must have been not to receive the immediate assistance you needed in this distressing moment," the report reads. 

The document, obtained by CBC, says that despite verifications, staff on duty that day "do not have precise recollection of the specific circumstances of your arrival."

Since the incident occurred months prior to the couple's report, the commissioner said the security footage was no longer on file, as tapes are only conserved in the system for 30 days.

But the commissioner said that according to information from the personnel, "there exists a certain confusion between the different members of the emergency staff regarding their obligations to assist in situations such as the one you have experienced."

The report says in May 2023, the hospital introduced an intervention procedure for medical emergencies referred to as "code mauve" which sets out the steps to be taken when an event requiring urgent medical intervention occurs both inside and outside the hospital grounds.

The commissioner says as soon as the hospital received the couple's complaint, the managers issued reminders to staff about their obligations and responsibilities.

In an email to CBC, the hospital said it is customary for teams to assist a patient outside the building to help them enter the emergency department.

"We would like to make it clear that if the alleged facts are true, they are unacceptable and do not meet our processes," read the email.

"Verifications are underway to shed light on this alleged situation, and we will not hesitate to take the necessary action if necessary."

'Urgent situations cannot suffer from confusion,' says advocate

Ariane Gauthier-Tremblay was shocked to find out that a recent policy could cause such confusion among staff.

A community organizer with MEMO Québec specializing in rights advocacy, Gauthier-Tremblay helped the couple prepare letters to the hospital to denounce the situation.

"Urgent situations cannot suffer from confusion or such excuses," she said.

"That confusion was kind of an excuse for health workers to not provide health and assistance to somebody in an emergency."

Gauthier-Tremblay says she was also disappointed to learn that the hospital no longer had security footage from the night of the incident and that it's only kept for 30 days.

"It's too short for Mr. de Passillé … because he was in rehabilitation, hospitalized," said Gauthier-Tremblay.

She says this incident also underscores existing fears among people with disabilities in particular — mainly that they might face obstacles and indifference while trying to access basic care.

'I want to keep on fighting'

De Passillé says he isn't completely satisfied with the outcome to date.

"It's important we go further," said de Passillé.

"A situation like mine shouldn't exist for anyone in the province of Quebec, no matter what hospital you go to. That's why I want to keep on fighting."

Paul Brunet, president of Quebec's council for patients rights, Conseil pour la protection des malades, says "we're losing this humanity towards patients and towards our own colleagues." He suspects it's part of why some staff are leaving the health system.

He said staff shouldn't need to be reminded of their duties or their code of ethics and deontology.

"In some cases, we need more than your protocol. We need your head, your heart, your own judgment. Can you have a judgment as a health professional or you just follow the rules?" said Brunet.