A London MPP is pressing the case of another area resident who has been unable to get a hospital bed.
During question period at Queen’s Park on Monday, MPP For London-Fanshawe Teresa Armstrong told the story of Londoner Larry Dann, who spent eight days waiting in a Miami intensive care unit with a serious infection while there were no available beds in his hometown.
“Larry says his insurance company was very diligent. They tried very hard to find him a bed at home, even organizing an air ambulance to get him back to Ontario, but he was never moved because there were no available beds,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong says this is one of too many cases where an Ontarian has been stuck abroad waiting for a hospital bed to open up at home.
Stuart Cline, 71, died in a St. Catharines hospital over the weekend, after spending more than a week in Mexico being treated for brain injuries suffered in a fall complicated by his heart condition.
His son, David Cline, told 980 CFPL Monday that the family is demanding an apology from the Ontario government, saying that throughout the whole ordeal, they didn’t get a single call from the Ministry of Health.
Premier Kathleen Wynne says there is a breakdown of communication between insurers and the health-care system that is being addressed.
“That’s the question we’re asking, ‘what is the breakdown between the insurers and the system,’ and we need to get to the bottom of it,” Wynne said in response to Armstrong during Monday’s question period.
“If indeed there were no beds anywhere in the province, then that is a great concern. If the beds are in the province, if someone is overseas or abroad, they should be able to come back to Ontario.”
Armstrong says Dann’s insurance company has looked for available beds in other communities, but have been unsuccessful.