What is interesting about this case for me is the fact that he has to be treated like any other patient who comes into the hospital. It begs the question of how do doctors and nurses deal with the fact that they are treating someone who has done an evil thing. Pickton, serving a life sentence for murder. Convicted on 6 counts, he is also responsible for over 30 more victims, most indigenous women.
So what does one do knowing the person is an inmate, or has committed a crime and is in the emerg awaiting treatment?
In the case of Pickton, people on staff at the hospital would have an idea of who he is and what he did. Therefore, they would have to do their best to think more in terms of treating an illness or injury rather than the person. If they do not know the person, they would probably be well advised to not look up the person online, to avoid finding out what they did. In other words, just treat the person and leave it at that. Doctors and nurses should try to stay neutral in their approach to the patient, and this is especially true re an inmate. Do no harm is the creed of the medical staff, and sticking to that rule is the prime mission. Tough to do but, a must when dealing with prisoners and those who are brought in for treatment accused of a crime. In the US, a 2009 report, published in the American Journal of Public Health, unearthed some worrisome stats:
Among inmates with a persistent medical problem, 13.9% of federal inmates, 20.1% of state inmates, and 68.4% of local jail inmates had received no medical examination since incarceration.
Prior to incarceration, slightly more than 1 in 7 inmates were taking a prescription medication for an active medical problem routinely requiring medication (as defined in the Methods section). Of these, 3314 federal (20.9%), 43 679 state (24.3%), and 28 473 local jail inmates (36.5%) stopped the medication following incarceration.
Following serious injury, 650 federal inmates (7.7%), 12 997 state inmates (12.0%), and, 3183 local jail inmates (24.7%) were not seen by medical personnel.
I was unable to find any information on Canadian prisoners. In fact, the available data is poor or almost non-existent, largely due to privacy regulation. I did find a link to data on the National Library of Medicine that does review health data, but again it is not robust.
I do not envy doctors and nurses who have to deal with offenders. The job is difficult enough as it is now they have to handle a man or woman who has a criminal record. Looping back to Pickton. Here is a man who has been seriously wounded, possibly mortally, though he is still clinging to life. How does the staff at the hospital treat a man who killed over 30 women without feeling something, especially those on staff who are women? I do not know, how they would but, they are and do treat offenders. My guess from what I am reading is they try to focus on the patient in the sense of need. He requires treatment, therefore treat him nothing more, nothing less. Keep as much focus possible on the medical application re his care rather than the emotional side of the care.
Most Canadians, including some victims families, really do not care if he dies and would not mind if it was painful. But, staff in the hospital have to take a different approach. They do need to try to save his life, and they do need to do what they can to relieve his pain. That is the tough part of the job. The best thing we as nonmedical personnel can do is support them. Thank them for doing what is most certainly an unpleasant part of their job, treating someone not many want to see live or be free of pain.
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*SE most likely a reference to State Equivalence.
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