Winnipeg woman's death could've been avoided, family says

Winnipeg woman's death could've been avoided, family says
Frances MacKay, 71, suffered pain for months, her children say
CBC News Posted: Jun 11, 2012 4:59 PM CT Last Updated: Jun 11, 2012 4:58 PM CT Read 1 comments1

The family of a Winnipeg woman who died last year is accusing the province's health-care system of failing to deal with the extreme pain she experienced in the months before she died.

Frances MacKay, 71, died in December from complications caused by kidney failure.

MacKay had been in pain for months before her death, but doctors just kept giving her more drugs instead of looking at the root causes of her pain, her children said Monday.

"She paid a big, big price, but it scars everyone in the family, and I just don't want anybody else going through this anymore," her daughter, Lorraine MacKay, told reporters.

Frances MacKay had underwent regular dialysis treatment at Seven Oaks Hospital, but she underwent procedures last fall that resulted in an infection that did not get diagnosed for weeks, according to her children.

If that infection was caught sooner, her death could have been prevented, her family said.

Hospital letter adds insult to injury
Dave MacKay said the ultimate insult came when they received a questionnaire from the Health Sciences Centre's pain clinic two weeks ago — five months after his mother's death.

"This is ridiculous. My mom's already passed away and this is an invitation to come talk about the pain that she was suffering from five months ago," he said.

"You call this a responsive health care system? This isn't a standard of care at all."

Health Minister Theresa Oswald said she had just learned of MacKay's case on Monday, so she needs time to find out what happened.

"I'm keenly interested in getting to the bottom of the details of the journey that this particular patient was on and what, if anything, could have been done to alter the outcome for sure," Oswald said.

In a statement, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said it is extending its "sincere regrets" to the MacKays "for the loss of their mother and what they've been through."

The authority said it will "thoroughly investigate this case" and notify the family of what it finds.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2012/06/11/mb-frances-mackay-seven-oaks-care.html