Family hopes former Cree grand chief’s long stay in Montreal ER hallway spurs change

The family of a Cree elder who spent four days in a Montreal hospital hallway say they hope that sharing his experience might spur change for the treatment of patients in Quebec emergency rooms.

Matthew Mukash was transported to Montreal General Hospital from his home in the northern Quebec village of Whapmagoostui on Jan. 7 experiencing weight loss and mobility problems, but he spent most of his time on a bed in an ER hallway.

His granddaughter Jade Mukash said they were not aware that hospitals in the southern part of the province were mostly overcapacity.

“No one had explained to us that it was crowded and it would take four days to get a room,” she said. “It was mostly just hour per hour, days at a time just waiting and waiting.”

Mukash, 72, a former grand chief of the Grand Council of Crees in Quebec, received treatment but remained in the hallway after being admitted.

“I would rather not see my grandfather go through this situation also, while facing health issues,” said Jade. “It was extremely crowded, the nurses, the security and the staff, they’re working 24 hours per day. In the lobby, they don’t turn the lights off, there is no place to rest for four days.” 

Jade said she spent as much time as she could by her grandfather’s side while being treated in the hallway, as he was experiencing mobility problems and unexplained weight loss.

“They didn’t know if he would have a bed anytime soon,” she said.

In a video Jade recorded, Matthew said in Cree that he wasn’t treated properly. He said: “I’m very concerned, because I don’t seem to be treated with any immediacy.”

An Indigenous liaison officer was present, telling them overcrowding in ERs have affected all Quebecers.

His experience comes as the emergency room network across the province has been overwhelmed in recent weeks, a situation that is expected to persist for much of the winter.

Jade said her uncle Pakesso started documenting the experience when a security guard allegedly asked her to leave.

“As a family we just felt like that was taking it too far by telling me that I couldn’t sit by my grandfather when we weren’t causing any issues in the ER lobby,” she said.

The MUHC overseeing the Montreal General hospital says only one visitor per patient is allowed in the emergency department (ED), and sometimes visitors are asked to leave for a period of time when it’s busy.

In statement to CityNews, they say: “We recognize that all establishments in the healthcare network are going through difficult times and the MUHC is no exception. This unfortunate situation has an impact on our patients and their families. […] Overcrowding in the ED is due, among other things, to a record number of patients occupying our beds while waiting to be transferred elsewhere in the network, and to staff shortages.”

Some say this points to a need for better access to healthcare in northern communities.

“We’re a proponent of an educational system that sees an equitable amount of individuals of First Nations ancestry taking these courses, becoming doctors, becoming respiratory therapists, becoming paramedics, becoming healthcare professionals that can better serve and stay in their community, so we don’t have to send our elders out,” says Robert Bonspiel of First Nations Paramedics.

Matthew was eventually discharged to a Montreal hotel for Cree patients waiting for admission and then was told to make the long journey back home – a confusing message to the family who says they were under the impression he needed hospital care.

The Mukash family returned home on Jan. 13 and Matthew is currently waiting for test results.

Jade says this experience is a wake-up call for better treatment for all Quebec patients, including those from Cree and Inuit communities who travel great lengths and deal with language and cultural barriers while accessing care.

“Hopefully get the healthcare system to recognize how much of an impact this has on the general population.”