Opposition calls for New Brunswick health minister’s resignation after ER death

For a while, those in the health-care sector have been warning of a crisis.

Organizations and health-care workers on the front line warned the system was on the brink even before the COVID-19 pandemic placed further pressure on it.

On July 12, that warning came to a reality after a patient, who was seeking treatment at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital emergency department, died in the waiting room.

After Global News spoke with an eyewitness, Horizon Health Network confirmed the death occurred in the waiting room of Fredericton’s major hospital ER.

It’s prompting a strong response from those in opposition who are calling on the government to take action to help the already overburdened health-care system.

“One of the consequences of them being understaffed, overworked and the wait times in the ER, is that this person passed away,” said Green Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton.

She said the incident that happened in Fredericton hits home for her. Mitton’s father was forced to spend part of his time in the health-care system in a hallway. After reading an article about a person who died in a hallway under similar circumstances as her father, she decided to run in politics back in 2018, hoping to make change.

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“People deserve dignity, people deserve care and people deserve it no matter who they are, no matter where they are and unfortunately that is not happening,” she said, holding back tears.

Mitton said the time for excuses is over and that solutions are needed now.

She and her party leader, Fredericton-South MLA David Coon, have both called for a coroner’s inquest into the individual’s death, arguing an internal investigation by Horizon is not sufficient or independent enough.

“We need solutions. We need things to be better. We need recommendations to prevent future deaths and that is what they can do,” she said in an interview on Thursday.

1:48 Patient dies in waiting room of N.B. emergency room

Liberal health critic Jean-Claude D’Amours has called for Health Minister Dorothy Shephard’s resignation.

He said she has failed to help the system in a way that has resulted in improvements in care, wait times and recruitment and retention.

“Right now, it’s just proof that you want money to pay the debt and what’s going on, you know, we have people who are dying,” he said in an interview. “So, I think… I hope it’s an eye opener for the government, for Premier (Blaine Higgs) and for the actual health minister, but I think it’s too late for her.”

D’Amours argues the province is too focused on saving the surplus and not enough on repairing the health-care system. The first step, he said, is a foolproof plan on recruitment and retention.

“If we don’t do it honestly and seriously, I’m scared we will see other situations like this one happen again.”

Global News made multiple requests to speak to Premier Blaine Higgs and Dorothy Shephard but neither were made available for an interview.

Horizon Health Network did not provide anyone for an interview.