Ottawa hospitals are reviewing their policies after an Ottawa woman with a serious eye condition was refused entry to several local hospitals this week. She can’t wear a mask for health reasons.
The 54-year-old woman, who is not being named to protect her health information, said she was turned away at the door when she attempted to go to the emergency department of the Civic hospital this week without a mask.
She then called the General campus of The Ottawa Hospital as well as Queensway Carleton Hospital and says she was told the same thing: no mask, no entry.
The woman suffers from asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), anxiety and claustrophobia and says she is unable to wear a mask. Prior to the pandemic, she said, she passed out after being given a mask against her wishes while waiting to be examined for bronchitis.
The fact that claustrophobia makes it impossible for her to wear a mask is on some of her medical records, she said.
This week, the woman developed multiple broken blood vessels in her eye. She had been told earlier by an eye specialist that she was at high risk for retinal tears and should immediately go to hospital if she experienced any possible symptoms. But she was stopped when she attempted to do so at three Ottawa hospitals.
“I have the right to health care. I am being refused health care because of my medical conditions.”
She eventually phoned the Hull hospital, which said it would see her without a mask. While there, she was examined by a doctor who was concerned about her condition but didn’t have adequate equipment for testing. The Gatineau doctor contacted the Eye Institute based at The Ottawa Hospital and said she was very concerned the woman’s eye needed to be checked.
But doctors associated with the Eye Institute also initially refused to see her in their offices without a mask. Eventually, one doctor there arranged to have her placed in an isolated room where he would see her. Even then, she says, she was stopped at the door of the General hospital and had difficulty getting in until the doctor intervened.
That goes against the hospital’s own policies, according to a spokesperson.
The Ottawa Hospital asks all patients visitors and staff to wear a face mask while in shared areas of the hospital, said spokeswoman Sara Hartwick, but exceptions are made for those who cannot wear a face mask for health reasons.
“People are asked to advise staff at the screening entrance and they will consult with the clinical team to manage the situation,” said Hartwick.
That is not what happened this week in the woman’s case. Hartwick apologized and said hospital officials have followed up with screening staff at the hospital doors “to ensure they know the process for granting exceptions, so that all patients can get the care they need.”
When the woman finally saw the eye doctor, he found no retinal tears but had concerns about its condition, she said, and is doing further tests.
The woman’s attempts to get health care without a mask left her frustrated. It also raise questions about how people who are unable to wear a mask for medical reasons access services during a pandemic. And, especially, how hospitals offer care to those who can’t wear masks while maintaining strict infection control.
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The 54-year-old woman, who is not being named to protect her health information, said she was turned away at the door when she attempted to go to the emergency department of the Civic hospital this week without a mask.
She then called the General campus of The Ottawa Hospital as well as Queensway Carleton Hospital and says she was told the same thing: no mask, no entry.
The woman suffers from asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), anxiety and claustrophobia and says she is unable to wear a mask. Prior to the pandemic, she said, she passed out after being given a mask against her wishes while waiting to be examined for bronchitis.
The fact that claustrophobia makes it impossible for her to wear a mask is on some of her medical records, she said.
This week, the woman developed multiple broken blood vessels in her eye. She had been told earlier by an eye specialist that she was at high risk for retinal tears and should immediately go to hospital if she experienced any possible symptoms. But she was stopped when she attempted to do so at three Ottawa hospitals.
“I have the right to health care. I am being refused health care because of my medical conditions.”
She eventually phoned the Hull hospital, which said it would see her without a mask. While there, she was examined by a doctor who was concerned about her condition but didn’t have adequate equipment for testing. The Gatineau doctor contacted the Eye Institute based at The Ottawa Hospital and said she was very concerned the woman’s eye needed to be checked.
But doctors associated with the Eye Institute also initially refused to see her in their offices without a mask. Eventually, one doctor there arranged to have her placed in an isolated room where he would see her. Even then, she says, she was stopped at the door of the General hospital and had difficulty getting in until the doctor intervened.
That goes against the hospital’s own policies, according to a spokesperson.
The Ottawa Hospital asks all patients visitors and staff to wear a face mask while in shared areas of the hospital, said spokeswoman Sara Hartwick, but exceptions are made for those who cannot wear a face mask for health reasons.
“People are asked to advise staff at the screening entrance and they will consult with the clinical team to manage the situation,” said Hartwick.
That is not what happened this week in the woman’s case. Hartwick apologized and said hospital officials have followed up with screening staff at the hospital doors “to ensure they know the process for granting exceptions, so that all patients can get the care they need.”
When the woman finally saw the eye doctor, he found no retinal tears but had concerns about its condition, she said, and is doing further tests.
The woman’s attempts to get health care without a mask left her frustrated. It also raise questions about how people who are unable to wear a mask for medical reasons access services during a pandemic. And, especially, how hospitals offer care to those who can’t wear masks while maintaining strict infection control.
Woman refused entry to hospital emergency because she can't wear a mask
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