Quebec’s chief coroner has ordered a public inquiry into the death of a quadriplegic man who sought medical assistance in dying (MAID) after a hospital stay left him with a severe and painful bedsore.
Normand Meunier, 66, was stuck on a stretcher in an emergency room at the hospital in Saint-Jérôme, Que., for four days.
Without having access to a special mattress, Meunier developed a major pressure sore on his buttocks that eventually worsened to the point where bone and muscle were exposed and visible — making his recovery and prognosis bleak.
His partner, Sylvie Brosseau, says although she advocated for her partner, she was told the special bed had to be ordered.
Days after his death, a local Quebec organization, Moëlle Épinière et Motricité Québec, demanded the Quebec government launch an independent inquest.
Coroner Dave Kimpton will oversee the inquiry, will hear from interested parties and make recommendations aimed at preventing similar situations in the future.
The details and date of the hearings will be announced at a later date.
The office of Health Minister Christian Dubé said he personally called Brosseau a few weeks ago to offer his condolences and let her know that an investigation would be launched.
“This decision is in line with our determination to shed light on what happened and take the necessary corrective action,” read an statement. “A situation like the one experienced by Mr. Meunier in the Saint-Jérôme Hospital should not happen.”
‘Treated like annoying patients’
News of a public inquiry comes as a relief to Ariane Gauthier-Tremblay, a community organizer with Moëlle Épinière et Motricité Québec, a group that advocates for people with spinal cord injuries and improved mobility.
“We are receiving numerous testimonies from our members about gaps in knowledge, in resources and even in basic nursing practices,” said Gauthier-Tremblay.
“Disabled people are often treated like annoying patients rather than knowing patients and this must be denounced and changed and that’s what happened with Mr. Meunier.”
She says her organization plans on being a part of the hearings and supporting Brosseau.
A horrific trip to the emergency department led a Quebec man who is quadriplegic to choose medical assistance in dying after he developed a severe bed sore. Disability activists say Normand Meunier’s death is the result of ‘pure neglect’ at the hospital, which should have had the proper equipment and staff to care for him.
Following the incident, Steve Desjardins, director of nursing at the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) des Laurentides, said the hospital has been working on skill-development for wound care nurses.
The Laurentian health authority confirmed that the internal investigation is not yet complete, and that its office that oversees quality and complaints has one complaint related to this situation.
The office has managed 39 complaints and interventions related to bedsores over the past three years.