A Saskatchewan father is heartsick and worried about his daughter’s worsening health condition in a Winnipeg hospital.
“She’s not waking up,” said the man, whom APTN News isn’t naming because his daughter is a minor and on probation.
“Her probation officer ordered that group home (where she was staying on conditions) to bring her here.”
The man fears his daughter’s complaints about health problems weren’t taken seriously until she wound up in hospital April 1.
“They neglected my daughter,” he said, noting the teen saw in-house doctors at the Manitoba Youth Centre (MYC) and received Tylenol.
“When she was telling them she was sick they were acting like she was just pretending.”
The scary situation has seen the man and his adult children keeping a bedside vigil. He said he is scheduled to meet with probation, child welfare and other officials Friday to discuss the case.
The office of the Manitoba Children’s Advocate is also involved.
“I can confirm that our office is aware of the situation and we are actively working to ensure the rights of the youth are being protected, services are responding appropriately to the situation, and also that the family is getting what they need,” said Ainsley Krone, the deputy Manitoba advocate for children and youth, in an email.
Child welfare
The father confirmed his daughter was in the care of a child welfare agency in Manitoba prior to serving her sentence at MYC.
He said the agency is paying for hotel and meals for his family to be in Winnipeg but told him the money runs out Sunday.
“They’re not meeting our needs at a time like this when, I feel, they’re the reason why my child is in the hospital right now,” he said.
The agency hasn’t responded to messages seeking comment from APTN.
The man said his daughter was placed in a new group home on March 14, as part of her release conditions from MYC.
“Her group home phoned another doctor to come in and check on her, and there was nothing wrong with her…A few days later she was still sick and a few days later they took her to (hospital) and they dismissed her,” he said before breaking down.
“They don’t even know what’s wrong. They’re doing tests.”
A spokeswoman for Manitoba’s Families Minister Heather Stefanson said the department couldn’t comment on a specific case.
