Quebec Coroner Says Delay in Getting to Hospital a Likely Factor in Baby’s Death

An ambulance is shown outside a hospital in Montreal, on Jan. 15, 2022. The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes

A Quebec coroner is calling on the province to reduce the time it takes to get remote patients to hospital after a seven-month-old baby from a northern First Nations community died after waiting for care.

Niteïyah Chilton died in April of bacterial meningitis after it took more than five and a half hours to bring her to the nearest hospital by ambulance, and more than eight and a half hours to get her to a specialized centre in Montreal.