Warning: This story deals with disturbing subject matter, including infant loss, which may upset and trigger some readers. Discretion is advised.
Karindeep Mangat was nearly five months pregnant when she started experiencing sudden pains in the middle of the night.
It was May 12, and she and her husband drove right away to the Surrey Memorial Hospital, having been informed an ambulance would take between 25 minutes and an hour.
At the hospital, Mangat’s blood pressure was taken twice. She waited two hours for a doctor who prescribed her pain killers, she told Global News, and shortly afterward, was told she could go home.
“I was crying with pain and screaming with pain on the bed,” she described in a Wednesday interview. “I was so weak and suffering from pain. I was not even able to stand.”
Mangat was alone in the room with her husband when she said she felt the baby release. She said her husband called for help, but when no one came, left the room and asked for a tray.
He was handed one, and Mangat said she picked up the fetus herself, and placed it on the tray.
“It was so hard for me at that time,” she said, taking a deep breath in her living room.
According to Mangat, the nurses returned and were surprised to see she had not left yet.
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She said she told them she had lost the baby, and when offered a choice to take the fetus home or send it to the pathology lab for testing, picked the latter. She said the nurses took the fetus but didn’t “bother” to check her health or search for complications.
“I wrapped up myself with a blanket and came out of the hospital … They just told us to leave and go home,” said Mangat.
“They should check the health of the lady, because after losing a baby there could be a damage of internal parts — there could be any damage to the body.”
Mangat said she was given a requisition to make an appointment at an outpatient clinic for an ultrasound. It took a week to secure the appointment, but when it was done, she said the results confirmed there were still remains in her body and she was sent back to the hospital for care.
“Those can turn into poison any time,” she said. “Luckily, nothing happened to my life, but what if I lost my life — who is there to care for my family and my little girl?”
In an emailed statement, the Fraser Health Authority said ultrasounds are available around the clock to patients whose physicians determine they are needed.
“We are sorry to hear about this patient’s experience at Surrey Memorial Hospital, and we are looking into what occurred to better understand their concerns,” a spokesperson wrote.
“Our Patient Care Quality Office has connected with the patient directly to ensure they have the supports they need at this time.”
“In general,” the health authority added, any patient who miscarries in the Emergency Department has the opportunity to connect with a social worker prior to their discharged to ensure their physical and mental wellbeing.
Mangat said she’s sharing her story to hold Surrey Memorial Hospital and the health authority accountable, and to give a voice to other patients who may not be able to speak up.
“Do they have a lack of doctors? Machines? Whatever is the reason, they need rectify it and improve it so no one else suffers,” she explained.
“It is our health. It is a question of our life, so they should be more careful and provide proper service.”
She decried the lack of “humanity” and “due diligence” in her care, and called for a formal apology.
“This is for everyone who goes to Surrey Memorial Hospital,” she told Global News.
A number of organizations in British Columbia work to provide support and comfort for any parent suffering from pregnancy and infant loss. A list of resources can be found on the Butterfly Run Vancouver’s website.
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