Inquest rejects call for probe into racism in health care
Aboriginal man’s death ‘preventable’
WINNIPEG — A relative of a man who died during a 34-hour wait in an emergency room says he is disappointed an inquest didn’t focus on the racism aboriginal people face in health care.
Brian Sinclair, a 45-yearold double-amputee, died of a treatable bladder infection while waiting for care six years ago at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre.
Sinclair “did not have to die,” inquest Judge Tim Preston said in a report Friday, but he rejected the family’s plea to rule the death a homicide on the grounds that failing to provide medical care was akin to failing to provide the necessities of life.
He also said an inquest wasn’t necessary into how aboriginal people are treated in the health-care system. He made 63 recommendations aimed primarily at policy reviews.
Robert Sinclair said he was unhappy the inquest didn’t deal with racist assumptions about his cousin and instead focused on how the emergency room should be structured.
Brian Sinclair’s death will be in vain unless the healthcare system deals with the real reasons he was ignored, his cousin said.
“We’re stereotyped — we like to drink, we like to be on welfare — all those bad stereotypes which are silly,” Robert Sinclair said. “That stuff needs to be addressed. Does that same mentality still exist in that system? You can speak to many aboriginals in this city and they’d tell you that it does.”
“BRIAN SINCLAIR DID NOT HAVE TO DIE, BUT HE DID NOT DIE IN VAIN.” JUDGE TIM PRESTON
Brian Sinclair went to the ER in September 2008 because of a blocked catheter. The inquest saw security camera footage of him wheeling himself over to the triage desk where he spoke with an aide before wheeling himself into the waiting room.
There, he languished for hours, vomiting several times and slowly dying. He was never asked if he was waiting for medical care. He was never seen by a triage nurse or registered as a patient.
Some staff testified that they assumed he was drunk, “sleeping it off,” or homeless. By the time he was discovered dead, rigor mortis had set in.
The chief medical examiner called Sinclair’s death preventable but ruled out homicide, calling his death “natural.”
Police also investigated and determined no criminal charges were warranted.
The health authority overhauled the emergency department after Sinclair’s death so triage nurses can better monitor the waiting room. Wristbands for those waiting for care now make them more easily identifiable. Cultural training for staff has also been retooled.
An inquest into his death began 18 months ago and heard from 82 witnesses.
“Brian Sinclair did not have to die, but he did not die in vain,” Preston wrote, pointing to the changes made by the health authority.
he government and the health authority said Friday they accepted all Preston’s recommendations, including one to ensure that vulnerable people are helped through triage when they first arrive at the emergency room.