A Lloydminster man has written to the Lloydminster Hospital and copied the SHA, the premier, and Lloydminster MLA after discovering in the middle of his pain due to appendicitis that the hospital does not do CT scans on weekends.
Austin Dyer says on Sunday, Nov. 24 he went to the hospital with severe pain coming from his lower right abdomen. He suspected it might be his appendix. He says hospital staff also had that suspicion, but CT scans are not done on weekends as there is no technician between 4:00 p.m. on Friday to 8:00 a.m. on Monday.
“It became evident that this delay and lack of available resources posed a serious risk to my health,” writes Dyer in his letter.
His options were to discharge himself and let a family member drive him to North Battleford for a CT Scan or wait for EMS transport.
Dyer had gone to emergency at 3:30 a.m. An ambulance to go to North Battleford was not available until 2:00 p.m. – some 11 hours after he first checked in with abdominal pains.
When he got to North Battleford he was diagnosed with appendicitis and sent back to Lloydminster for surgery at about 8:00 p.m.
“Something that could have been done 12 hours earlier if CT would have been available,” writes Dyer.
Dyer remains in high praise of the hospital staff but the shortage of a technician “severely limits the hospital’s ability to provide timely care for patients with serious emergency medical conditions.”
The following week Dyer had to return to Lloydminster Hospital on Friday, Nov. 29 with complications. He again needed a CT scan. He was admitted into hospital and sent to North Battleford, on Saturday, Nov. 30.
“During my medical emergencies, I ended up being in the Lloydminster Hospital for seven to ten days, and I cannot help but wonder if I had proper emergency medical care when I arrived the first time, if my second stay at the hospital may not have had to happen,” writes Dyer.
Recuperating at home, Dyer told MyLloydminsterNow that all the medical staff he spoke to asked him to raise the matter publicly.
He commends the staff for outstanding care, professionalism, and compassion, but contends that “the Lloydminster Hospital is refusing to pay to have staff on-site to operate the CT scan machine.”
In urging that immediate action be taken to fix the issue, Dyer is also encouraging residents to speak out and write the policy makers about the “lack of emergency medical services” at the hospital.
MyLloydminsterNow is awaiting a reply from Saskatchewan Health Authority concerning this matter.
