A Penticton woman is hoping a petition will bring attention to the large number of life-threatening medical errors in Canada and result in changes.

Retired nurse Teri McGrath害羞草研究所檚 bad experience at the Penticton Regional Hospital in 2014 spurred her research, which includes access-to-information requests, media reports and medical studies, into how many medical mistakes like hers happen in Canada 害羞草研究所� the results astonished her.

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害羞草研究所淭he bottom line is 30,000 people plus die every year from medical errors in Canada,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淚t is the third leading cause of death over cars accidents and opioids. The first is heart, the second is cancer and the third is medical errors.害羞草研究所�

That number is according to the Toronto-based which also says the cost to Canadians for preventable medical harm in acute care is $396 million every year.

McGrath害羞草研究所檚 petition currently has 187 signatures and she needs 500 before it can go in front of the House of Commons. The deadline is June 13.

She said she also learned that the publicly funded Medical Services Commission, which manages B.C.害羞草研究所檚 Medical Services Plan, gave $51 million to the Canadian Medical Protective Association Rebate Program in 2017 and 2018. The money is used to help defend doctors against medical errors.

All this means that taxpayer dollars are being used against taxpaying patients and families to pay lawyers to defend preventable medical errors causing injuries and deaths, McGrath said.

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The most recent statistics McGrath points to show that only two per cent of 4,000 lawsuits had verdicts for the victim, which means patients who experience these tragedies, in most case, get nothing.

害羞草研究所淭hat would be like being in a car accident and never getting any compensation for it, even though it was the other guy害羞草研究所檚 fault and you害羞草研究所檙e dead or you can害羞草研究所檛 walk anymore. You get compensation from a car accident but when it is a medical error, you get nothing,害羞草研究所� she said.

Seven progressive countries successfully use no fault health care compensation to support patients who have been injured or die due to preventable medical errors, she said.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 trying to get changes,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淚 tried to get this issue on the Standing Committee on Health and didn害羞草研究所檛 get a response. They wouldn害羞草研究所檛 even answer. But I am determined to get on that committee.害羞草研究所�

The petition is available .

To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

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