After waiting seven hours for treatment, Canadian woman Allison Holthoff dies in hospital emergency room

In what has been described as a “senseless death” a 37-year-old mother of three children died in a Canadian emergency room waiting room, after awaiting treatment for about seven hours. Allison Holthoff was rushed to a hospital in the Nova Scotia province on the morning of 31st December as her condition worsened over what was earlier thought to be an upset stomach. Talking to CBS News, her husband,Gunter Holthoff, revealed how he had carried his wife to the Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre in Nova Scotia’s Amherst town on his back and how they spent hours waiting in agony before the mother of three died.As per Gunter, they had reached the hospital at around 11 am but they didn’t get to see a doctor till after 6 pm.

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Reportedly during the preliminary examination that was conducted after 6 pm, Allison was asked to submit a urine sample, but by then the pain had gotten so bad that she fell to the bathroom floor while trying to prepare the sample. She then had to be assisted by two people.

Soon, her condition deteriorated to the point where she couldn’t even sit in a wheelchair and had to lie down on the floor. As the pain progressed, the woman told her husband that she feltlike she was dying and even said, “I think I’m dying. Don’t let me die here”.

As per Daily Mail, she spent hours writhing on the floor as nurses brushed her off.

Towards the end, Allison “descended” screaming into a cardiac arrest and it was discovered that she had been suffering from internal bleeding all along.

In the end, doctors reportedly told Gunter that they could operate to save Allison’s life but that she had less than a one per cent chance of surviving and that even if she does pull through, it won’t be a life worth living.

Following this, the family reached the heartbreaking decision to not operate, and the woman died twelve hours after their arrival at the hospital. It is still not known what caused the internal bleeding.

The incident has raised questions about Canadian healthcare. Allison’s family, backed by Nova Scotia politicians, are demanding to know why she wasn’t taken care of for hours.

‘Unfortunately, I do feel like she was neglected, and it was to a point where they couldn’t ignore us anymore,’ said Gunter. An investigation into the case has been launched by the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

(With inputs from agencies)

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