Dear Editor:
A few thoughts on Burnaby Hospital seeing as it made recent headlines. Being ignored in the latest provicial budget provided that opportunity.
The staff there do their very best with the conditions under which they work. It is overcrowded, outdated and, in some areas, in a poor state of repair.
Repeatedly I hear the front line staff reply that you will have to take it up with administration. This in reference to family members seeking better service for their loved ones.
Here are a few items from my recent experience there. I was handed a form to complete and sign for a family member. On checking I pointed out that this was not the right patient. The name was then changed with a sticker.
On moving from emergency to a medical ward, we arrived to find that the assigned bed had already been filled. In a raised voice, we were told take her back to emerg. We did eventually get a bed.
The available bed was in a coed two-bed space. Over the next three days, both patients shared a washroom with no door. As both suffered from incontinence, it was, to say the least, awkward.
During the coldest days in recent memory, a broken window held together by cello tape offered little protection. I sat with winter jacket on while visiting.
I discussed the poor condition of the room and the lack of privacy with the attending doctor. Although there was empathy, it was pointed out that the better allocation of funds by the ministry would help.
Both my son and I witnessed a commode placed in the elevator access area. A female patient using it was surrounded by three staff members to give her privacy. This was necessary because the hallway alcove that served as her room did not have enough space.
Sadly, these are items I can mention without entering into embarrassing or confidential medical details.
Despite all of this and the laws of probability, a health status sufficient for release was attained.
This is not a new problem, nor have solutions not been discussed ad nauseam. People seeking solutions from outside the political spectrum are not heard. I am sure that the current council and their provincial masters will have all the answers soon. I figure those solutions will begin in August, reach crescendo in September and fade into oblivion at the end of October 2018.
I will end here with my pet peeve. No one being admitted to a hospital or visiting the sick should have to pay parking. No one goes there by choice but of necessity.
Look at what I wrote above and ask yourself this question: Would I ever go there if I didn’t absolutely have to? Furthermore, would I want to stay there without family and friends to support me? Would I want someone to bring me edible food and help me with my ablutions with some dignity?
Ray Power, Burnaby
