Health worker's widow files complaint over care
She alleges he wasn't on monitor, not given enough help
The wife of a deceased North Battleford health-care worker says she has filed a complaint, alleging not enough was done to save her late husband's life.
Tom Thomas, 34, died in hospital last week after complaining of chest pain; he had previously tested positive for COVID-19.
He is survived by his wife Merin George and their 18-year-old daughter.
George, an ICU nurse by training, said she filed a complaint with the local quality of care coordinator because she believes her husband wasn't connected to a patient monitor to assess his vitals and was not offered other help in a timely way before he died in the emergency room.
“I lost my husband because of their negligence,” she alleges.
Saskatchewan Health Authority spokesman Doug Dahl wrote in a statement that the SHA takes such matters “very seriously.”
“We are unable to publicly discuss any specific case in accordance with HIPA (Health Information Protection Act),” he wrote.
Thomas' death, the first known case of a health-care worker with COVID -19 dying in Saskatchewan, has attracted sympathy and donations from across the world to help his family.
Premier Scott Moe hailed the fallen continuing care aide as a “hero” on the front lines of the pandemic. An online fundraiser raised more than $90,000 in just a day and a half, shattering its $75,000 goal. “Money is not equal to the life of a husband,” George said.
Friends and family remember Thomas as a caring, hardworking man and a dedicated member of his local church.
Thomas first came to Canada in 2016 as a permanent resident, staying with his cousin Joji Alex in North Battleford. Alex said Thomas, like so many before him, came to Canada seeking opportunity and a good quality of life.
“He was a good person, hardworking, and he was a talented singer, too. He used to sing on any occasion — birthday parties, and in the church he used to be one of the people in the choir ... Music was his passion,” Alex said.
His journey to North Battleford brought him closer to his old friend Don Paul, whom he had met in Kerala in the 11th grade. Both had come to Saskatchewan of their own accord, and they eventually reunited in North Battleford. Paul said Thomas was studying to become certified as a registered nurse, the job he had held in India.
“That was his first dream here in Canada, to be a registered nurse,” Paul said.
He believes his friend's story struck a chord because many people could identify with his family challenges and his journey as a recently immigrated health-care worker, he added.
“I'm very thankful that people are recognizing the health-care workers and the struggles they go through,” said Paul, who helped organize the fundraiser.
“You can't just stay home, right? You have to be looking after other people even if it's COVID, and I'm sure every health-care worker appreciates that recognition from the premier.”
Alex said Thomas tested positive for COVID -19 earlier this month, and was otherwise healthy before his sudden passing.
“He wasn't expecting anything. Nobody was expecting anything like this,” he said.
Thomas's funeral was held last weekend. A video, livestreamed on Youtube for mourners who could not be there in person, accrued more than 11,000 views. His body has been cremated and will be sent to India so he can be laid to rest in his family's cemetery, Alex said.