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Saskatchewan’s Opposition leader is calling on the province to investigate the death of a mother that Carla Beck claims was caused by lacking maternal care in rural areas.
The NDP leader said the death of Chelsea Bear, a mother-of-five who sought maternal care for pain in Meadow Lake, was caused by a lack of available services in non-urban parts of Saskatchewan.
Bear died while pregnant with twins, and only one of the infants survived. On Aug. 10 while experiencing pain and bleeding, Bear visited the Northwest Health Facility in Meadow Lake, located 300 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon — but was turned away, according to the Saskatchewan NDP.
At the time, she was 36 weeks pregnant with the twins, and it was considered a high-risk pregnancy.
Bear returned to the hospital the following day because her pain had intensified and was sent south to a hospital in Saskatoon. After waiting to be seen for hours, her placenta tore, which her family said caused a hemorrhage.
She died with one of the twins, who was stillborn, her family said.
“Now that my daughter’s gone and the baby, I just want things to change in hospitals and how they treat people,” said Debbie Bear, Chelsea’s mother.
As of Wednesday, the surviving twin named Gracie remained in critical condition at the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon.
Her family shared Bear’s story and is demanding an independent investigation into the care she received prior to her death – their request was backed at a news conference earlier this week by the Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC).
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Saskatchewan’s NDP amplified the family’s call Friday, when they issued a news release calling on the government to perform a full investigation and offer a public release of findings, including recommendations for improvement, in light of Bear’s treatment while in hospital.
“We have heard stories of mothers giving birth on the side of highways, and not able to access health care where and when they need it — as the minister claims he’s putting patients first,” Beck said in the release.
“He could truly demonstrate that by launching an investigation today, to ensure this never happens again.”
An email statement sent on behalf of Saskatchewan Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill extended condolences over the Bear’s death.
“Maternal care and providing access to high-quality health care services to patients in rural and northern communities are significant priorities for our government,” the statement said, adding a patient safety review is being conducted.
No other information was released.
“The Opposition knows it would be inappropriate and a violation of The Health Information Protection Act (HIPA) privacy laws for the province or the SHA to comment on a patient’s specific clinical details and circumstances with the media,” the ministry said.
On Friday, Beck referred to an earlier news conference where MLTC representatives spoke about the loss of Bear.
At that event, the tribal council said prior to her death, leaders were told “keep quiet” about the situation when they sought answers from the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA).
“Basically, the concern was on ‘What’s the image going to look like?’ It wasn’t about answering or giving the family comfort,” alleged MLTC Tribal Chief Jeremy Norman.
The SHA confirmed to Global News it met with the tribal council, but did not confirm or deny whether those comments were made during that meeting.
“At the time of that meeting, the SHA had not received consent from the family to discuss the specifics of their case with MLTC,” the authority said in a statement for Global News.
“We have since received the family’s consent and will continue our discussions with MLTC in the coming days.
“We take MLTC’s concerns seriously and value their role as an important community partner as we continue this dialogue in a culturally respectful and responsive way.”
This is the second Indigenous woman to die during childbirth this year in Saskatchewan.
Jaali Weenie-Sutherland, 24, died in April after being transferred to two different hospitals in Saskatoon and waiting 13 hours after receiving a diagnosis of pre-eclampsia — a dangerous pregnancy complication causing high blood pressure.
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