A 22-year-old man went to the emergency room at Cité de la Santé hospital in Laval early Thursday morning complaining of chest pain, and a battle over language ensued.
Frank Fazzari says his son Zachary has a history of heart palpitations. On his way to work, Zachary began to sweat, had pain in his chest and his face felt numb. He called his parents and said he was going to Cité de la Santé, and his father said he would follow.
Fazzari says he arrived at the ER to be with his son, and several staff members present refused to speak in English.
Fazzari says only when he suggested he'd call the media did someone in charge appear, and kindly took charges of the situation in English. Zachary was examined, a test was performed and health workers said everything seemed fine.
But Fazzari says he was still worried, and decided to take Zachary to the Montreal Heart Institute where, he says, a doctor immediately asked them which language they speak.
Johanne Pare, a spokesperson from the Laval health authority, sent CTV a statement apologizing for any inconvenience the incident may have caused the family.
She said staff at the hospital are required to provide access to some English services. There needs to be a sufficient number of bilingual staff present at all times in certain departments including the emergency room, intensive care and the day centre and, if a health situation is urgent, they are obligated to find someone on-site who can communicate in English. Pare said the rules will now be reiterated to all hospital staff.
Zachary's father says doctors at the Montreal Heart Institute diagnosed his son with pericarditis, an inflammation of the membrane around the heart, and he will be kept at the hospital overnight.
