17 Feb How did three governments allow the VG to reach this state?

Earlier this month, Bill Turpin spent a week with a patient undergoing surgery at the problem-plagued Victoria General Hospital. He put his cell phone camera to good use. Yesterday he posted 25 images of maintenance failures.

Here are seven, together with his acerbic captions:

Eye’s Down. Think of your blood pressure.

Oops! Sorry! Don’t look down either.

Not bad by comparison. Still, it’s a hospital!

Soon a patient will be wheeled into this spot. Would you eat at a restaurant that looked like this patient bay? Rest assured any food service health inspector would look askance at it. Third world, you say? Hah! In some third world countries, the bureaucrats responsible for the VG could be facing criminal charges. Note the beige tape securing the call button wire.

Stairwell.

Same stairwell. Different mess.

Nothing to see here. Just move along, please.

Turpin Labs is familiar with five Nova Scotia hospitals. Medical staff at the VG have been the best from a patient point of view—professional, accessible, and attentive. But maintenance at the VG is by far the worst. Cape Breton Regional, often criticized in this respect, sparkles by comparison.

As Contrarian’s contribution to the discussion, here’s what a replacement receptacle cover plate would cost at Canadian Tire. Time to install? Less than one minute.

View the rest of Turpin’s photo gallery here.