Hospital patient allegedly kicked out when she requested that hospital staff speak to her in English
A patient entered Hôpital de Verdun, or Verdun General Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in an ambulance because of chest pains, but says she was kicked out when requesting that hospital staff speak to her in English, rather than French. According to CTV, a doctor saw the woman before she was kicked out, but the cause of her chest pains had not been determined. She was directed by the doctor to see a nurse for further tests and blood work.
The patient claims that a nurse set up to take a blood sample and asked her, in French, to place her right arm on the table. The woman, who does not speak French, placed her left arm on the table. Her boyfriend, Jabari Radway, who does speak and understand French, then told the nurse that the process would go better if they could get service for the woman in English. CTV reports that the nurse then responded saying, “No. This will be in French or she can leave the province.” The nurse went even further, going on to insult the patient saying that it was unbelievable that she doesn’t know the difference between her left and her right.
Jabari told CJAD 800 News, "He basically just said to me, 'This is Quebec and how stupid can she f***ing be, because he was asking her to put her hand on the desk to draw some blood…Then he told us, 'This is Quebec. If we're not happy, get the f*** out of the hospital.' And he picked up the vials that he was supposed to take to draw her blood with and shot everything in the garbage."
Mr. Radway asserts that he was not confrontational and attempted to get a supervisor involved so that his girlfriend could be treated. But instead security was called and the couple was escorted out. Jabari’s girlfriend was eventually treated at the Jewish General Hospital and is reportedly doing alright.
Monique Guay with Verdun General Hospital, would not comment on this exact case but told CJAD 800 News that all French speaking hospital staff have the duty and responsibility to find an English speaking staff member, or find a way to communicate with an English speaking patient. The hospital believes this was an isolated incident and do not plan on investigating the case because no complaint was filed. Mr. Radway says they were ushered out of the hospital before he could enter a complaint but he fully intends to do so.
Video and more info: CTV, CJAD 800 News
