Family of woman found dead on floor of hospital room accuses Lakeshore General Hospital of racism - Action News
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Montreal

Family of woman found dead on floor of hospital room accuses Lakeshore General Hospital of racism

Nearly a month after her death, Candida Macarine's family is still waiting for answers from Lakeshore General Hospital about the circumstances of how she died. The family is asking for a coroner's investigation, and accusing the hospital of racism.

Candida Macarine's family only learned circumstances of her death after reading CBC story

head and shoulders photo of elderly Philippino woman.
Candida Macarine's family has written to Quebec's chief coroner asking her to reopen the investigation into the 86-year-old woman's death. Macarine was found dead on the floor of a room in the ER at Montreal's Lakeshore General Hospital on Feb. 27, 2021. (Submitted by Placido Macarine)

The family of a woman who was found dead beside her bed at the Lakeshore General Hospital in Montreal's West Island last month is accusing the hospital of racismand demanding a coroner's investigation.

Candida Macarinedied Feb. 27in a negative pressure isolation room in the hospital's emergency room that nurses had warned managers about several times, saying it was difficult to see and monitor patients there.

The day of her death, Macarine's family was told only that she died of cardiac arrest.They say they accepted that and were at peace with it.

It wasn't until they noticed a CBC News storyabout a woman found "dead and ice cold"on the floor beside her bed that they realized that woman was likely their mother.

"The worst and most devastating thing was that we were only guessing and analyzing from the news that this was our mother,"Placido Macarine, Candida's son,said duringan online news conference Monday.

"This is clearly for meracial discrimination. This is racism," Placido Macarine continued.

The hospital has refused to confirm to CBCNews and to the family if Macarine was the woman found on the floor, although a source who works at the hospital saidthe dates and times of Macarine's death line up with the circumstances reported.

'Abandoned and neglected'

Three of Macarine'seight surviving children spoke during Monday's news conference. They described a loving mother and grandmotherwho was an avid churchgoer and supporter of Montreal's Filipino community.

They said they've heard nothing from the Pointe-Claire hospital or the local heath agency about how Macarine died.

"From February 27 until today March 22, nothing was done not a single word of explanation nor apology," Placido Macarine said.

"Is it because we are Asians that they just put us aside as not worthy of their attention?" he asked.

Candida Macarine's daughter Gilda holds back tears during an online news conference Monday. (CBC News)

"My mom was abandoned and neglected," Candida Macarine's daughter Gilda, herself a nurse, told the news conference, her voice breaking and her eyes welling with tears.

Pattern of racism in health care system?

Fo Niemi, director of the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations, which is helping the family, said Macarine's death seems to be part of a pattern in Quebec of women of colour being mistreated in the health care system. He citedthe cases ofJoyce Echaquan and Mireille Ndjomouo.

"Wemust also ask whether and how race has been a factor in Ms. Macarine's death, and in theway the family has been treated to this day," Niemi said.

The West Island health agency, the CIUSSSde l'Ouest de l'le de Montral, told CBCis it taking the situation seriously and has launched an internal investigation. It offered its condolences to the family and says it is in "close contact" with them.

The family is asking the Quebec coroner's office to conduct a separate investigation.

"We don't think the family can trust any information coming out from the hospital anymore," Niemi said.

A spokesperson for the coroner's office said Monday that a coroner wanted to get in touch with the family to get more information.