A local man who was stranded in a Mexican hospital is finally returning to Canada despite a hospital bed shortage in London.
Stuart Cline, 71, was admitted to the intensive care unit in Mexico after he suffered an aneurysm a week ago. He was stabilized enough by Saturday that he could have flown home, however, his family was told there were no available hospital beds in London.
With Cline's condition deteriorating, his daughter-in-law Alejandra reached out to London West MPP Peggy Sattler for help.
"When we spoke [Tuesday], she told me through tears that the family is desperate. They feel they are all alone, living a nightmare and they don't want Stuart to die in Mexico," Sattler said in the legislature on Wednesday. “Stuart is in critical condition, and he is deteriorating rapidly. He needs to come home, now. He should have come home on Saturday. It’s an absolute disgrace that our hospitals do not have space for him.”
She went on to press Premier Kathleen Wynne and Health Minister Helena Jaczek to address hospital overcrowding and ensure Cline would be able to fly home immediately.
"This is a situation that no one should have to undergo and I know that the Ministry of Health and the LHIN [Local Health Integration Network] are looking at what can be done in this situation," Wynne said.
It wasn't until hours later on Wednesday when a bed was finally found for Cline in St. Catharines, according to the London Free Press. The arrangements were made through an insurer after a family member spoke to a doctor in St. Catharines.
Just two days into her new cabinet post, Jaczek indicated it is the responsibility of private insurance companies who issue medical travel insurance to find patients beds.
"We have reminded insurers what they need to do in terms of finding the appropriate capacity here in Ontario," said Jaczek. “It is their responsibility to work with Ontario’s system of hospitals. It’s not just a matter of just calling one single hospital to find the appropriate capacity. They need to work with the LHIN that is their responsibly, that's our expectation and we would want to remind them of that. There are beds in Ontario for these individuals.”
Cline is the second Ontarian in recent weeks to have been stranded abroad due to hospital overcrowding. David Ronald was unable to return home to Hamilton for six days after being critically injured in Costa Rica.
