Toronto hospitals report surge in sick kids as some pediatricians still won't see them in person
CBC
When her 11-month-old son's fever neared the 40 C mark, Sonu Maan followed their pediatrician's advice and took him to Toronto's SickKids emergency department.
Maan said although Kiesh's cough, runny nose and fever were getting worse, it likely didn't warrant hospital attention. She'd much rather walk the half block to his doctor's clinic to put her mind at ease that he wasn't suffering from something serious.
But even after Kiesh tested negative for COVID-19 — and continued going to daycare — Maan said his pediatrician refused to examine him in person and, over the phone, recommended she take him to SickKids.
"It was really shocking to me his doctor wouldn't see him," Mann said.
"At least for the younger kids who can't really talk or communicate what they're going through, it's really important to get a doctor's examination."
She and Kiesh waited five hours in the busy emergency department one evening in July, and then were told they'd need to wait at least five hours more before a doctor would be available, Maan said. At 1 a.m. she called it quits and headed home.
"I probably would not take him back to emergency," she said. "I felt like it made him more uncomfortable."