Undocumented woman says she was denied emergency C-section at Edmonton hospital

Alberta Health Services is investigating after an undocumented woman says she was denied an emergency C-section at an Edmonton hospital last month.

Perla Estrada, 35, said a doctor told her to go to the hospital on March 25 after an ultrasound revealed she had low amniotic fluid and needed a C-section.

She said at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, she was told she had to pay $5,000 upfront for the procedure and that no doctor there would see her unless she did so.

As an undocumented person without medical insurance, Estrada said she expected to pay for the cost of her hospital care after the birth, but she did not have enough money to pay the amount upfront.

She later went to the Misericordia Community Hospital, where she had the C-section and gave birth to her daughter Violet.

"If I didn't have a friend that helped me and took me to the other hospital, more likely I would have just come home, and something completely different would have happened," she told CBC News, speaking in Spanish.

Watch| Undocumented woman says she was told she has to pay upfront for emergency C-section:

Advocates and health experts say nobody should be denied emergency medical care because of their immigration status.

AHS's website states, "you will not be denied emergency medical care in Alberta even if you do not have medical insurance."

Spokesperson Kerry Williamson said AHS is "very concerned about this case" and is contacting the patient to discuss the details.

Estrada said she came to Canada from La Paz, Mexico in October 2022 on a tourist visa.

She said she had met an employer online who told her she would receive a work permit once she came to Canada but the offer did not materialize.  

Estrada said her plan was to obtain a work permit, save money in Canada and eventually bring her 12-year-old son to Canada.

She said she met a Canadian man last year and they were planning to get married but they broke up after she became pregnant in July.