An 80-year-old London man, suffering from pneumonia and a loss of mobility in his legs which required a walker, was told to clean up an accident after he was given a laxative at the London Health Sciences Centre, CTV News has learned.
Joseph Cummins, professor emeritus of genetics at Western University, said the incident occurred when he was hospitalized over the Easter weekend.
“Early in my stay I was dosed with strong antibiotics and strong laxatives leading to a minor accident in the shared toilet on the ward,” Cummins says.
“I asked the man who served breakfast to have the cleaning staff clean the toilet. He insisted that I had to clean the toilet as I had caused the problem.”
Cummins says after waiting to see if someone would come to clean, he decided to do what he could. He became even more concerned when he discovered threads of fecal material in the grout of the floor tile.
And the soiled towels were not removed for several days.
He expressed his concern to the hospital five weeks ago, but got little response.
“The obvious problem seems to be ignored for fiscal reasons but I see the problem leading to spread of disease and antibiotic resistance. I say that with some authority, having taught microbial genetics and microbiology for many years at Western. I believe that exposing the problem will save lives.”
Carol Young-Ritchie, LHSC’s vice-president of patient centred care, says she regrets the delay in responding to Cummins.
“Five weeks without a response is way too long.”
She says Cummins will hear from the hospital next week after his complaint is investigated.
Young-Ritchie says there are specialized cleaning teams at the hospital that clean washrooms at least once a day.
She also says random audits of washrooms are conducted.
Cummins was asked by his doctor to stay a couple of days longer at the hospital’s Victoria campus, but after what he saw, he refused.
“I said, ‘No thanks. I would like to go home because I think I’m safer there.’”
