A woman claims that when she asked for service in English at the Verdun General Hospital, she was told not only to leave the building, but also the province.
Sonia Bailey, 24, called 9-1-1 on Wednesday afternoon, complaining of chest pains.
“We came by ambulance,” said Bailey’s boyfriend Jabari Radway, 32. “It was a very serious situation, we don’t know what’s going on.”
Bailey and Radway claim they were told to leave the hospital before she could have any bloodwork done.
“They could have kicked us out because of this language situation and we could have walked a block and my girl could have collapsed,” said Radway. “What would we have done then?”
The couple claims that when a nurse came in to treat Bailey he asked, in French, that she put her right arm on the table.
Bailey put her left arm up, because she didn’t understand. At this point, Radway said he then asked if his girlfriend could be served in English.
The couple claims that the nurse then refused, and proceeded to insult Bailey, saying it was unbelievable that she didn’t know the difference between her left and her right.
An argument then ensued between Radway and the nursing staff, security was called and both Bailey and her boyfriend were removed from the premises.
The couple moved on to Montreal’s Jewish General to proceed with Bailey’s treatment and bloodwork.
The Verdun General says their policy is to give patients service in a language they understand, and that if a staff member is unable to do so, they should find another who can.
The hospital is calling this an isolated incident, and has not launched an internal investigation because no formal complaint has been filed.
Radway says the reason no complaint has been made is because he and his girlfriend were told to leave. He plans to call and make one, in hopes of sparking further investigation into the case.
Bailey was unavailable to speak to CTV for comment.
The original version of this article incorrectly stated that Bailey went to hospital on Friday.
