A quadriplegic man from Quebec, Normand Meunier, opted for medically assisted death after a four-day stay in the emergency room resulted in a severe bedsore, highlighting the systemic issues in the healthcare system's treatment of disabled individuals.
Meunier, 66, a former truck driver, was left paralyzed in his arms and legs following a spinal cord injury in 2022. He was admitted to the hospital in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, in January due to a respiratory virus. His partner, Sylvie Brosseau, revealed that Meunier was left on a stretcher for four days without access to a special mattress, leading to the development of a major pressure sore on his buttocks.
"Every time we go to the hospital, it's my duty to tell them that Normand is quadriplegic and needs an alternating pressure mattress … I don't understand how this can happen, because a mattress is the most basic thing," Brosseau said.
The lack of a special mattress, which shifts pressure points to prevent bedsores, necessitates frequent changes in a patient's position, according to Jean-Pierre Beauchemin, a retired geriatrician and professor at Université Laval's faculty of medicine.
Meunier, who had previously suffered other bedsores, chose medically assisted death to end his physical and psychological suffering. "I don't want to be a burden," he said the day before his death. He passed away at home on March 29.
Steven Laperrière, the director general of the Regroupement des activistes pour l'inclusion au Québec (RAPLIQ), which supports people with disabilities, called the incident "a crying shame." He criticized the health-care institution for its negligence, stating, "Nobody will convince me that within a few hours the proper mattress could not have been found."
The local health authority, CISSS des Laurentides, confirmed it is conducting an internal investigation into Meunier's case. However, advocacy groups, including Moelle épinière et motricité Québec (MÉMO-Qc), are demanding an independent inquest, arguing that the internal investigation is insufficient.
Trudo Lemmens, the Scholl Chair in Health Law and Policy at the University of Toronto, described the case as "deeply troubling," illustrating the problems in the healthcare system. He noted that vulnerable individuals are often left feeling like more of a burden, leading some to turn to medical assistance in dying.
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