Lack of Toronto hospital beds strands 88-year-old woman in Malta
An 88-year-old Toronto woman was stranded 7,600 kilometres from home after a medical emergency and a fruitless search for a hospital bed in the Greater Toronto Area, and her case should be a warning to future travellers, says her son.
Mike Pace’s mother, Carmen, was on vacation on the Mediterranean island of Malta in September when she had a stroke.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
To make matters worse, Pace said he and his family were told by his insurance company that there were no hospital beds available in Toronto or Mississauga to treat his mother.
After weeks of waiting, Pace said his insurance company presented him with an unusual option: his mother would be flown back to Toronto anyway and dropped at a local emergency room.
“It is stressful,” Pace told CTV News. “It’s created a lot of anxiety for the family abroad.”
Carmen Pace is transported by airplane to a St. Joseph's hospital in Toronto. (supplied)
Leaving a transfer patient at an emergency room is known colloquially as “dumping.” The travel insurance industry says it’s very rare, saying historically they bring back about 700 Canadians a year with a bed prepared for them.
“The last thing we want to do is bring someone back and leave them. Ideally we want to set that up,” Will McAleer of the Travel Health Insurance Association said in an interview.
But McAleer said serious problems in Ontario’s health-care system are making everything worse, expressing concerns that solutions have to be found.
“As hospitals get busier, it becomes that much more difficult for us to get individuals back home,” he said.
Even in the Mediterranean, the Paces were caught up in a health-care crisis that has closed hospital wards and ERs across the country. One major cause is a nurse shortage prompted by the stresses of the pandemic, which has pushed more nurses to retire or quit.
Data shows nurse vacancy have been rising at GTA hospitals, and twice as many Canadian nurses are leaving to work in the United States compared to five years ago.
“I have never seen it this bad, ever. Nobody has,” said NDP Health Critic France Gelinas.
Ontario’s Ministry of Health told CTV News it has registered some 4,000 internationally qualified nurses this year, and passed new regulations on Thursday that allow more internationally-qualified nurses to take shifts in hospitals while they wait for the applications to be completed.
ONTARIO'S HEALTH-CARE SYSTEM STRETCHED THIN
The holiday in Malta was supposed to be a trip of a lifetime for Carmen, Pace said. But everything changed when she had her stroke. She was rushed to a Maltese hospital on September 29, where she was stabilized.
Then, Pace began the steps to return his mother home, hoping that a familiar environment and proximity to family could help her recover more quickly.
“Unfortunately, I have been notified by the insurance company saying that beds in Toronto and Mississauga are at capacity. They have been declined. My mother has been declined a bed,” he said.
Carmen Pace is seen in this undated image. (supplied)
Even by October 13, emails show that the insurance company was still “working with St. Joe’s to get an accepting doctor and secure a bed.”
Other e-mails show the government of Ontario referred Pace to CritiCall Ontario, which is an agency that handles repatriations of patients in life-threatening situations.
That agency told CTV News it repatriated 29 patients in 2019, and nine so far in 2022.
"Is the system stretched? Yes, it is. Every day we hear of hospitals closing different beds or having human resourcing issues," said Isabel Hayward, CritiCall Ontario's executive director.
Hayward said that it has never not been able to find a bed for a patient who fits its criteria.
"Through CritiCall, the system continues to collaborate to mitigate risks and ensure access to care," Hayward said.
However, because Pace was stable in Malta, it appears she did not meet the criteria.
Mike Pace said the company offered to fly his mom back even without a bed ready, and drop her at the St. Joseph’s Hospital Emergency Room. He said she remains there, getting care.
Unity Health Toronto, which operates St. Joseph's Hospital, refused to answer any questions about the Pace’s struggle to get a hospital bed, despite repeated requests from CTV News and calls by her family for transparency.
Trillium Health Partners told CTV News they have completed five out of country repatriations this year. Another nine requests were received, said a spokesperson, but the reasons they didn't go through weren't to do with hospital capacity.
University Health Network told CTV News that an acute transfer from an international setting would happen one or two times a year. Scarborough Health Network said such a transfer would be rare, but that they would not have precise statistics on it.
A Unity Health Toronto spokesperson said, "Repatriation requests have not been declined at our sites where the patient met the repatriation criteria and also provided the appropriate medical documentation to support a transfer of accountability."
“It’s very frustrating,” said Pace. He believes other travellers should be warned of the possibility they could be stranded too.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they've changed their name
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Trial begins for Winnipeg serial killer who claims he was mentally ill
The trial of a man who admits he killed four women in Winnipeg is set to begin Wednesday, and a law professor says lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have multiple hurdles to clear for a defence of mental illness.
These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
New Canadian study could be a lifesaver for thousands suffering from CTE
A first-of-its-kind Canadian research study is working towards a major medical breakthrough for a brain disorder, believed to be caused by repeated head injuries, that can only be detected after death.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.