An investigation has been launched after the family of a patient who died at the Anna Laberge Hospital in Châteauguay had to wait four days to receive his death certificate and attend to funeral rites.
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Stéphane Roch and Véronique Hébert had no idea what nightmare they would experience when they received the call on January 22nd announcing the death of Gaétan Hébert's father.
The man, who was stationed for some time at the Anna Laberge Hospital in Châteauguay, on the south coast of Montreal, died suddenly on the afternoon of last Monday, accompanied by a nurse stationed at his bedside due to his illness.
“My partner spoke to the nurses that the paperwork should be done immediately, if not the next morning,” recalls Stéphane Roch, who then contacted a funeral home in the region to organize the funeral.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FAMILY
Véronique Hébert and her father Gaétan Hébert
What was their surprise when the same salon contacted them again the following Thursday and informed them that they had still not managed to recover the body of Gaétan Hébert.
“They tell me, 'We've been trying to get the papers for two days, but they're not ready yet,'” Mr. Roch exclaims. It is really incredible. We had things to discuss with Gaétan's family, whether we would expose him, we wanted to make the arrangements together. »
A computerized registry
During the pandemic, Quebec expanded the use of the Demographic Events Information System (SIED), a computerized registry in which all obituaries are now entered electronically.
“A funeral home cannot uncover, embalm or even care for remains if this famous message is not assigned to the funeral home in the computer system,” confirms the general director of the Corporation of Thanatologists of Quebec, Annie Saint-Pierre represents around 500 professionals in the Funeral sector.
Recovering a body without family orders and the death certificate of the deceased is illegal even under the Burial Act, she adds.
Since this computer system has “facilitated and accelerated the procedures for the release of the remains,” a four-day delay in sending a death certificate is “unacceptable,” says Annie Saint-Pierre.
I don't understand it, it's the first time I've heard it in a year and a half, something like that because [le SIED] This prevented doctors from going on vacation without signing the death certificate, as was common practice in the past.
Annie Saint-Pierre, Director General of the Corporation of Thanatologists of Quebec
Despite two calls to the complaints department of the CISSS de la Montérégie-Ouest, to which Anna-Laberge reports, Gaétan Hébert's death certificate was only finally sent to his family on Friday.
And this, after the intervention of the office of the deputy of Châteauguay, Marie-Belle Gendron, specifies Stéphane Roch.
Too late to be exposed?
On Friday, the CISSS de la Montérégie-Ouest confirmed that there had indeed been “a delay between the death and the signing of the death certificate,” without providing further details as to what caused this.
“This is an unusual event and the CISSS de la Montérégie-Ouest is concerned about the situation. An internal investigation is underway to determine what caused this,” explains the Department of Communications and Public Affairs.
“We would like to sincerely apologize to the family and know that measures are being taken to prevent such a situation from occurring again,” it added.
But Stéphane Roch fears that it is now too late to expose his father-in-law. At least that's what the funeral home apparently told him.
It is often said that the healthcare system is collapsing. Well, in my opinion it has already collapsed.
Stephane Roch
The general director of the Corporation of Thanatologists, Annie Saint-Pierre, is less categorical than the funeral home. “There are many things that are possible today, it depends on a variety of factors,” she explains.
Regardless, in their opinion, Gaétan Hébert's family should never have experienced such a situation. “It is in no one’s interest not to sign the death certificate. It clogs morgues and impacts families. »
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63,310 Number of deaths reported in Quebec per year, averaged over a ten-year period
Source: Department of Health and Human Services