Manitoba family demands changes after their mother died waiting for heart surgery

A Manitoba family who lost a loved one while waiting for heart surgery is calling for legislative changes.

A Manitoba family who lost a loved one while waiting for heart surgery is calling for legislative change to ensure others don’t have to suffer through a similar situation.

Debbie Fewster was told in August 2024 that she would need a triple bypass surgery, and she would need it within three weeks.

She was put on a waitlist to receive the surgery, but the call to get it done never came. Her family said she passed away on Oct. 13.

“There was no update, no plan. Just silence,” said her son Daniel at a news conference Wednesday.

“After a Thanksgiving dinner with our family, she was gone. My mom passed away before the surgery ever happened, and I can’t describe the shock, the anger, and the grief. Our family has been devastated.”

Daniel said his family has only heard from the health authority one time since his mother died, and that was for the ambulance bill the day she passed.

“My mom really was entering a sweet time in her life. She was settling into retirement nicely. She was making plans to see her grandkids regularly across the country. She was actively involved in relief work and disaster cleanup locally and abroad. My mother served her community relentlessly with fervour and joy. The hole that she left is immense.”

Now, the Fewster family has joined with the think tank SecondStreet.org to call for legislative changes that would see health authorities be required to inform people when they cannot provide a life-saving treatment in the recommended time period.

“Do no harm is a bedrock principle of the health-care system, and yet, (in) Debbie’s case and many other cases across Canada, the system is obviously causing harm. Not just because they didn’t provide treatment in time, but because the system leads patients and their families to believe that treatment is forthcoming in a safe and timely manner when, in this case, clearly it wasn’t,” said Colin Craig, the president of SecondStreet.org.

Craig said he believes this change, which they are calling Debbie’s Law, would give patients and their families the ability to look elsewhere to get surgery before it’s too late.

“If a patient requires surgery in three weeks and the hospital knows it’s booking eight weeks out. Well then, sit down with the patients and let them know that they may wish to consider looking at other options.

“Passing Debbie’s Law would actually mean governments have to meet the same high standard that they set for private businesses. If an automaker realizes it has a safety problem with one of its vehicles, it has to notify customers immediately. If a food distributor discovers E. coli with some of the food that it has sold, it must notify customers immediately.”

He said those same rules for automakers and food distributors should be applied to the health-care system, which he feels would lead to more transparency and save lives.

“This law is really about transparency and honesty and being upfront with patients. It shouldn’t be an ideological challenge. I think whether you’re NDP, Conservative, everything in between, you should be able to get behind this law because ultimately it could help save patients’ lives.”

Craig also pointed out if people are told to look elsewhere and have the ability to pay to go out of province, this would also allow the waitlist to be shortened to help those who may not be able to afford other options.

Speaking to the media Wednesday, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the government is always willing to listen to suggestions brought forward by Manitobans that could be used to help improve the health-care system.

In a statement to CTV News Winnipeg a spokesperson for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said they offer their condolences to Debbie’s family.

“Having a loved one pass away while waiting for surgery is something no one should endure. While we cannot offer specific details regarding this case due to patient privacy legislation, we can say that patients waiting for cardiac surgery are prioritized based on the severity of their condition.”