Whistleblower's claim of substandard medical care at Edmonton Remand confirmed by watchdog
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An investigation into the medical care of five people incarcerated at the Edmonton Remand Centre has revealed "serious and significant wrongdoing."
An investigation into the medical care of five people incarcerated at the Edmonton Remand Centre has revealed "serious and significant wrongdoing."
Alberta’s Public Interest Commissioner Kevin Brezinski announced Wednesday that the cases, brought to his attention by an anonymous whistleblower, amounted to "inconsistent and arbitrary" treatment.
There are no names of the incarcerated patients or the people who were responsible to care for them in the public report and dates for the incidents are not provided.
Of the five cases Brezinski considered, four of the people went to hospital and two died.
He worked with an expert nursing consultant to review the medical records and treatment history of the five patients.
"Medical staff did not reassess, or conduct insufficient or infrequent reassessment of emerging symptoms for four patients relating to pain, shortness of breath, abnormal vital signs or high temperature," Brezinski concluded.
"In one specific incident, it took two days for medical staff to begin treatment after noting a patient's toe was black and swollen with fluid."