Couple claim clinic refused to treat baby

VIEW ROYAL - A Langford couple is demanding an apology after they claim a walk-in clinic refused to treat their six month old baby in what they believed was a medical emergency.
The couple claims the View Royal clinic would only agree to treat the child if the baby had a BC Health Card.

She didn't and the parents say their daughter should have been covered by one of their health care numbers.

On Monday night Rob Schinners says his girlfriend called him urgently to rush and help her with their baby.

"She's like 'she can't breathe, she can't breathe' and she was like turning purple". Schinners says he frantically called to his daughter, "I said Agnes, Agnes and she became alert".

Agnes' breathing worried the Schinners and his girlfriend throughout the night.

The following morning they took her to a View Royal walk-in clinic. The parents claim they were not allowed to see a doctor because the baby doesn't have her own care card.

"It's not her fault she doesn't have a care card" says he told the medical receptionist as he demanded to see a doctor.

The couple says they then visited the office of the doctor who delivered Agnes where they say they were seen immediately. A few hours later they found themselves at Victoria General Hospital where Agnes was being seen by a paediatric surgeon.

/A\ News went to the View Royal Clinic to ask them what happened.

The medical receptionist said her manager did not want to talk about the incident and denied refusing treatment. The receptionist said the couple did not want to wait.

Ron Schinners says they were never given an option to wait. He claims the only issue raised was the baby's lack of a health card.

The BC College of Physicians and Surgeons will not comment on this specific complaint, but it says physicians are expected to adhere to their professional code of ethics -- and their fundamental responsibility is to consider first the well-being of the patient.

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