A woman has filed a lawsuit in which she claims she sustained lifelong disabilities after a doctor at an Interlake hospital failed to determine she needed emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage.
Bertha Anderson is suing Dr. Tarwinder Chumber, the Lakeshore General Hospital in Ashern, the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority, Shared Health and medical staff for unspecified general, special, punitive and compensatory damages, as well as the cost of past and future care, and loss of income and future income.
No statements of defence have been filed.
Anderson, 57, who lives in Pinaymootang First Nation, could not be reached for comment. Calls to the doctor were directed to the health authority, which said it couldn’t comment because the matter is before the courts.
In a statement of claim filed in Manitoba Court of King’s Bench last week, Anderson alleged she was rushed to the hospital by ambulance on Jan. 27, 2023, after calling 911 because she was feeling weak, had headaches and was vomiting blood.
She claims hospital staff and Chumber triaged her as experiencing symptoms of weakness and hematemesis, a condition related to internal bleeding in which vomiting blood is a symptom, and monitored her.
The court papers say even though Anderson’s symptoms became worse and she had a “lower level of consciousness and a rapidly decreasing level of responsiveness” for almost 24 hours, there were no further attempts to diagnose her condition.
She claims it wasn’t until the evening of Jan. 28 that the decision was made to transfer her to Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre, after Chumber examined her again.
The lawsuit says because no air transportation was available, she was transferred via regular ambulance. Ashern is 180 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
She arrived at HSC and a CT head scan showed “a large cerebellar bleed.” She was then rushed into the operating room for emergency surgery.
The woman claims, because of the delays in properly diagnosing her, “(Chumber and/or health services staff) created and/or increased the risk that Ms. Anderson would not receive timely medical attention.
“(They) knew or ought to have known that her condition was critical and required immediate emergency surgery.”
The lawsuit claims Anderson has several disabilities and health problems, including reduced use of the left side of her body, and prolonged fatigue, nausea and decreased energy. She needs physiotherapy every two weeks.
“Ms. Anderson has experienced, and continues to experience, pain, suffering, disability, discomfort, anxiety, loss of independence, loss of amenities of life, and has been, and will continue to be, deprived of the normal pursuit of pleasure and activities, which she might otherwise be expected to enjoy.”
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason
Reporter
Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
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