Transport System Failures Implicated in Tragic Death of 11 y/o Vancouver Island Boy.

A recent article by Alec Lazenby published in The Province describes the heartbreaking case on Vancouver Island of an 11-year-old boy who died after waiting over five hours for transfer to a higher level of care. His death underscores systemic failures in British Columbia’s transport network, where delays and limited critical care capacity in rural areas can prove fatal.

Med Response BC (MRBC) was conceived to address exactly these gaps. Unlike the current system, which relies solely on BCEHS paramedics and often lacks timely access to advanced care in the field, MRBC deploys physician-led, interprofessional prehospital and retrieval teams. These teams combine critical care physicians and nurses who can deliver intensive interventions at the point of contact and throughout transport. International evidence from Scotland’s EMRS and Wales’ EMRTS models shows that such teams reduce mortality in critically ill and injured patients, especially when geography imposes delays .

MRBC’s approach also integrates cultural safety and community engagement, ensuring rapid access to care for rural and Indigenous communities that are most affected by transportation inequities. With dedicated aircraft and a coordination hub, MRBC could bypass current bottlenecks, deliver definitive care sooner, and support rural clinicians without stripping local ERs of staff for transfers.

Had such a system been operational, the Vancouver Island tragedy might have had a different outcome. MRBC’s mission is to ensure that no child or adult dies waiting for the care that geography and system design should never deny.

See the recent article in The Province for the full story: https://theprovince.com/health/bc-boy-died-five-hour-hospital-wait-vancouver-island/wcm/87d142e8-6c0b-4378-a6c2-d2fb2b30e994