Pregnant Norway House woman traumatized after 'nightmare' hospital visit

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 14, 2025 6:10 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

The household of a young parent successful Norway House Cree Nation is accusing a bluish Manitoba infirmary of aesculapian negligence and racism, turning what should person been 1 of the astir joyful times of her beingness into a "nightmare."

Kaitlyn Albert, 18, was 40 weeks large erstwhile she went to a regular assignment with her spouse astatine Thompson General Hospital connected Feb. 4, according to Dana Coates, Albert's mother-in-law.

In a telephone telephone from the infirmary pursuing the appointment, Albert was led to judge the fetus wasn't breathing, Coates said.

"We lived done the worst imaginable grief, believing that we had mislaid our archetypal grandchild," Coates said astatine a Friday quality league organized by Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin, which advocates for the needs of bluish First Nations radical successful Manitoba.

"And yet, erstwhile they rushed backmost to the hospital, unit had nary grounds of that telephone [and] nary mentation that they had been told this. The babe was perfectly healthy," she said. "This wasn't conscionable a mistake. This was a infinitesimal of axenic devastation for our full family."

Coates says the young mates were met with verbal abuse, neglect, racism and cruelty from aesculapian unit astatine the Thompson hospital. She said a doc yelled successful her son's look aft helium asked a question, and told him that helium would be astatine responsibility if thing happened to the baby.

The doc besides told the mates they didn't request an ultrasound, but aboriginal insisted they did request one, Coates said, adding the ultrasound technician refused to fto her lad into the country during the appointment.

"They were assertive and unsmooth with Kaitlyn, pushing down excessively hard connected her belly and slamming things astir successful frustration."

Kaitlyn says nary Indigenous pistillate should person to combat to beryllium treated with respect successful a hospital.

"I'm speaking retired due to the fact that nary 1 should ever person to spell done this again," she said astatine the quality conference. "What we experienced was not wellness attraction — it was not attraction astatine all."

Albert was fixed a moss container for her kid astatine the quality conference, a awesome of extortion for the baby.

Her mother, Lyn Albert, says her daughter's archetypal gestation was expected to beryllium a blessed time.

"Instead, it turned into a nightmare that we volition ne'er forget," she said. "She told me, 'Mom, they said my babe isn't breathing.' I cannot picture the symptom I felt successful that moment."

The acquisition has wounded the young couple's spot successful the health-care system, according to Lyn. It took days to transportation her girl to spell backmost to a hospital, but she yet got the attraction she needed successful Winnipeg.

Lyn says First Nations mothers shouldn't beryllium made to consciousness similar a load successful the health-care system: "No parent should person to spell done hours of reasoning their kid is gone."

Hospital reappraisal needed: councillor

Deon Clarke, a councillor for Norway House, says galore First Nations radical successful bluish Manitoba person been traumatized by the health-care system.

"They're acrophobic to participate these facilities due to the fact that they're frightened to beryllium mistreated," helium said.

He wants Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara, the Northern Regional Health Authority and the infirmary to bash thing astir the idiosyncratic "who traumatized this family."

"We request a reappraisal of the hospital's services, the mode doctors present attraction there," helium said. "This ain't 1950. This is 2025."

CBC News has reached retired to  Asagwara and the wellness authority for comment.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Northern Health portion said they could not stock accusation astir a patient's acquisition for privateness reasons, but encouraged anyone with concerns to interaction their diligent acquisition department.

Dr. Barry Lavallee, CEO of Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin — which represents astir 2 twelve First Nations successful bluish Manitoba — says health-care providers who clasp biased views against First Nations radical should discontinue their jobs.

"We don't request you. We don't privation you," Lavallee said astatine the quality conference. "Do not marque wealth disconnected of our needs … We don't privation to proceed to wage your owe and your future, and past get this benignant of care."

He said the enactment betwixt Albert and unit was tainted with racism. Hospital staff should person reassured the parent that her babe was OK, helium said. 

"The mode the accusation was delivered to this family, she thought her babe was dormant and not breathing, afloat stop."