Sorry, that's not my patient

One of life's little irritations is going to a restaurant, needing something simple such as a fork, asking a passing waiter for one and then being told, "Sorry, that's not my table."

Yes, we understand that it's a busy place and everyone has their own tables to look after.

But really, would it be that much trouble for a fork?

Anyone who has experienced this will remember the poor service and associate it with the restaurant no matter how great the food is. Even so, waiting a few extra minutes for a fork is pretty small beans.

Imagine feeling ill, heading for a hospital and collapsing a few metres outside the doors only to have the hospital staff pick up the phone to dial 911.

It sounds like a skit from "Saturday Night Live" or an improbable scene - one that's supposed to be humourous - from a Carl Hiaasen novel.

Yet once again, truth is stranger than fiction and not at all humourous.

In Saskatoon, a contractor said he spotted a man in a hospital gown lying on the ground outside emergency at City Hospital Monday morning.

The contactor went inside to get help, but he said staff refused aid and instead called 911.

A spokeswoman for the Saskatoon Health Region said the policy is for patient and staff safety. The patient eventually was helped into the hospital by the security guards. Some of the facts of the story are now being disputed by officials from the health region while the contractor is sticking by his side of events.

Adding to the murkiness of the whole thing is why such a policy might ever exist in the first place. Unofficial comments posted on various websites say reasons for such policies are due to insurance coverage or union rules or shortage of staff or a number of other things.

Indeed, something about the story rankles. Most people can think of an emergency situation they witnessed where a doctor, nurse or first responder - who was not on duty but happened to be in the area - stepped in to provide care.

Health minister Don McMorris has ordered a policy review after hearing of the situation. The minister said he wants the health regions to review their current practices to make sure such situations are dealt with through what he calls "the lens of common sense."

Hopefully, the truth of what happened and how it happened are brought into the light.

People who are in need of care should never have to cut through a jungle of red tape to see a doctor.