N.L. Health Services apologizes to Nain residents after MHA raises concerns over clinic morgue
Lela Evans says ongoing mistreatment of people who've died has been kept quiet for too long
The interim CEO of Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services has apologized to residents of Nain after a Labrador MHA raised concerns over issues with the community's clinic morgue.
Torngat Mountains MHA Lela Evans said she's confirmed that the morgue's cooling system hasn't worked for up to two years, and that the clinic has tried to control the morgue's temperature with a small, window-mounted air conditioner to no avail.
"There's issues with the smell, but also it's about respect for the people who've passed away and it's about respect for the family members who have to bury their loved ones. This should never have gotten to this point," she said.
"What we're hearing is that when staff goes in they have to hold their nose because of the buildup of smell coming off the people who've passed away. For me ... that is very upsetting."
In an interview Tuesday afternoon, after CBC News published the story, N.L. Health Services interim CEO Karen Stone said she had learned of the issue with a cooling unit at the morgue late last week. The health authority has been waiting for a permanent fix, she said, adding it will come on Thursday.
"I would like to apologize to the people of Nain, because it's taken way too long to get this issue resolved for a variety of reasons. But we want to treat everyone with dignity and respect. And certainly when someone passes away, things should not be made more difficult for families because of uncomfortable conditions because we have faulty equipment," Stone said.
"We're really sorry about that. And we will do better."
Evans said she only learned about the broken cooling system recently, telling CBC News that speaking out was the only way a fix would happen.
The provincial government, and the health-care system it's responsible for, are showing disregard for the people of Labrador, she said.
"We are considered out of sight, out of mind. If this was anywhere else in the province would this be allowed to continue? Would the loved ones of people who passed away be treated with such disrespect? And also would the staff of a clinic be treated with such disrespect that they had to work in these conditions?" Evans asked.
"We want to be treated with the same level of respect as everyone else. When our loved ones pass away we don't want to deal with a situation where they are not being properly cared for.
"In the past I've heard stories of how the remains, the bodies, of our loved ones were treated with utter disrespect and this is an example of that disrespect. It's been out of service for at least two years. It's an ongoing issue. So why wasn't it fixed?'
Anger and grief
Evans says she's expecting a flood of anger and grief once the conditions at the morgue become widely known along Labrador's north coast. In an on-camera interview with CBC, the MHA herself struggled to remain composed.
"It will be very hard to hear. When I heard it I was very upset, and it's hard to distinguish between being upset and being angry because of the way we're treated," she said, close to tears.
"People had loved ones pass away and now they are going to go back and think: 'Was my loved one in this state as well?"
Evans, who's a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, says she hasn't yet spoken to the provincial health authority, but plans to.
"It shouldn't have to be an issue that the MHA has to deal with. [Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services] has failed the people of Nain and the people of the north coast, and to have to go to the MHA to complain about the way our loved ones who've passed away are being treated and cared for is unacceptable," she said.
"I'm ashamed that the health-care system and the government has allowed this to go on for so long, allowed a health authority to think that this was OK even though there were complaints. I know there were complaints because that's how we found out about it."
CBC News requested an interview with Health Minister John Hogan. A spokesperson for the Health Department refused to grant one, saying the matter was the purview of the health authority.
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