Ontario Woman Demands Urgent Health Care Reform in New Brunswick After Husband’s Tragic Death on Vacation
An Ontario woman is calling for immediate health care reform in New Brunswick after her husband’s untimely death while on vacation, pointing to what she believes were serious shortcomings in the province’s emergency room care. Anne Makhoul’s husband, Danny, died in a Moncton hospital in August 2023 after waiting for hours without receiving the proper medical attention. Now, as the New Brunswick provincial election approaches, she’s urging political leaders to address what she describes as a healthcare system in crisis and is encouraging Canadians to advocate for their loved ones in emergency rooms across the country.
Anne and her husband, Danny Makhoul, 64, had always loved visiting the Maritimes. They had honeymooned in P.E.I., regularly vacationed in the region, and had deep personal connections to Nova Scotia. But their final trip together took a devastating turn. On August 12, 2023, while on the second day of their vacation in Sackville, New Brunswick, Danny began experiencing severe abdominal pain, followed by vomiting and diarrhea. The couple initially believed it might have been food poisoning, but as Danny’s condition worsened, Anne became increasingly alarmed.
With the Sackville Memorial Hospital emergency department closed for the evening, Anne was left with no option but to call 911 at 11:43 p.m. Ambulance records show that paramedics arrived within eight minutes, administered fluids and medication, and assessed Danny’s pain as an eight out of 10. They then transported him to the Moncton Hospital, arriving around 2 a.m.
Anne praised the paramedics for their care, but once inside the emergency room, things took a drastic turn. She described the hospital staff as inattentive and dismissive, noting that despite her husband’s worsening condition, they were treated as if Danny had only a minor case of food poisoning. For hours, Anne pleaded with staff for more substantial treatment, but her requests for pain medication and fluids were largely ignored. The IV that had been inserted by paramedics was removed upon arrival at the hospital without explanation, and Danny was only offered Tylenol, which Anne found perplexing given his vomiting.
“I felt like they weren’t taking his condition seriously,” Anne said, recounting the long hours of worry and helplessness as she watched her husband’s health decline. “Compassion fatigue slapped me in the face.”
Hospital records show that Danny’s vital signs were checked only a few times between 2 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., when a doctor finally saw him. By then, his condition had deteriorated significantly. Less than two hours after being seen by the doctor, Danny was rushed to the trauma center. Despite the medical team’s efforts, he died later that afternoon at 2:38 p.m.
An autopsy revealed that Danny Makhoul died from necrotic ischemic enterocolitis—gangrene in the intestines caused by insufficient blood and oxygen supply. Anne believes that had her husband received earlier and more attentive care, his life could have been saved.
Anne has since filed a formal complaint with the Nurses Association of New Brunswick, but more than a year later, she has not received an outcome. She has also written to New Brunswick’s health authorities, sharing her story in the hopes of prompting meaningful change in the province’s health care system. The president and CEO of the Horizon Health Network, Margaret Melanson, has issued a public apology for the lack of communication and compassion that Anne and Danny experienced, but it did little to console the grieving widow.
With New Brunswick’s provincial election on the horizon, Anne is pushing for health care reform to be a central focus of the candidates’ campaigns. She has reached out to various political leaders, sharing her story and urging them to address the systemic issues within the province’s health care system. Health care has already become one of the key issues in the election, with parties making bold promises to address the crisis.
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has acknowledged that the province is facing a health care crisis, having overhauled the leadership of the health care system after multiple deaths occurred in emergency rooms in 2022, including one at the same Moncton Hospital where Danny died. Higgs has vowed to expand services provided by nurses, pharmacists, and paramedics if re-elected. However, Anne remains unconvinced, insisting that more needs to be done to prevent further tragedies like her husband’s.
The New Brunswick Liberal Party has promised to build at least 30 collaborative health care clinics and offer $15,000 retention bonuses for nurses. The Green Party has pledged a generational investment in health care, with leader David Coon even calling Anne directly to express his commitment to preventing avoidable deaths. Meanwhile, the NDP, which has not held a seat in the province in over two decades, continues to struggle to gain political traction but has also called for substantial health care improvements.
Health care experts, including Dr. Chris Goodyear, a general surgeon in Fredericton, have issued a challenge to all election candidates: spend 48 hours in an emergency room to see the challenges first-hand. Dr. Goodyear’s challenge has garnered interest from candidates, but he stresses that true commitment will only be proven once the new government is in place and action is taken.
Anne supports Dr. Goodyear’s challenge and believes that her husband’s tragic death should be a wake-up call for politicians and healthcare administrators alike. She continues to encourage Canadians to advocate for their loved ones in emergencies, stressing that no one should be afraid to speak up when they feel something is wrong.
“This isn’t just a crisis in New Brunswick,” Anne said. “It’s becoming a crisis everywhere.”
As the provincial election nears, Anne Makhoul’s heartbreaking story reminds us of the human toll of Canada’s healthcare challenges and the urgent need for reform.
Source: Swifteradio.com
