A family in Nova Scotia, Canada is grieving and holding the country’s healthcare system responsible for the death of a wife and mother. 

Allison Holthoff, 37, died after waiting for seven hours in an emergency room without care while in extreme pain. 

Canadian Health Minister Michelle Thompson wrote a statement on Monday, January 9 expressing her condolences to the patient’s family. She called the death a tragic loss and said that the family deserved answers.

Allison Holthoff’s trip to the Emergency Room at the Cumberland Regional Healthcare Center in Nova Scotia, Canada turned into a nightmare for her and her family.

Gunter Holthoff said that his wife felt ill on New Year’s Eve morning, and initially she thought it was just an upset stomach. Her condition got worse, and in excruciating pain, Allison was brought to the hospital by her husband.

They arrived at around 11 am, and Holthoff carried his wife on his back because she couldn’t stand up. Holthoff said she was in so much pain she could hardly sit in a wheelchair.

The triage was completed right away, at 11:20 am. Holthoff said that he took his wife to the bathroom to obtain a urine sample, and she fell on the floor because he had trouble supporting her alone. Two security guards had to help her up. He frantically called for medical attention but nothing happened. 

The couple then waited for almost seven hours in the hospital waiting room and in an exam room for a doctor, who did not see her until about 6 pm. By that time, it was too late for Allison.

At some point, Allison told her husband that she was afraid she was dying, and he insisted that the nurses do something. At around 3 pm, the nurses took them into another room that had no medical equipment. Allison started screaming, and a nurse came to check her blood pressure and found it was very low.

At that point, the hospital staff tried to give Allison medical care. By the time the doctor got to her, she was much worse, and it was not long before she took her last breath.

Holthoff blamed the healthcare system for his wife’s death, saying that the system was broken.

Allison left behind her husband and their three children. 

After Allison’s death, Mr. Holthoff contacted Elizabeth Smith McCrossin, his local political representative, who wrote a letter to the Health Minister, Michelle Thompson, requesting an investigation into Allison’s neglect in the ER.

Health Minister Thompson acknowledged that the government has started an investigation into Allison’s death.