Kitchener, Ont. teen waits 19 hours for emergency appendectomy

A mother is speaking out after her teenage daughter spent 19 agonizing hours waiting in two Kitchener, Ont. emergency departments for an appendectomy.

A mother is speaking out after her teenage daughter spent 19 agonizing hours waiting in two Kitchener, Ont. emergency departments for an appendectomy.

Julia Malott says the experience is proof the healthcare system isn’t working as it should and she’s placing the blame squarely at the feet of the provincial government.

“We need to fix the system,” Malott said Tuesday. “We need to add capacity, we need to have better processes. I am not someone who works in this industry who could purport to know the answer, but I certainly know that this doesn't work at all.”

The ordeal began on Sunday night when Angelina Malott developed severe abdominal pain. Julia rushed her to St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener and the pair arrived around 10 p.m.

At first, things started O.K., Julia explained. Angelina was given a bed to lie down in and was seen by a doctor around 2 a.m. The doctor ordered a few tests and by 4 a.m., appendicitis had emerged as the likely diagnosis, but the family still had to wait for an ultrasound.

“Unfortunately, they don't run 24-hour ultrasounds here at St. Mary's. So we were told we had to wait until 8 a.m., which then became 9 a.m. before we could even confirm what was going on. And this is pretty scary for us, of course, because appendicitis can be severe,” Julia said.