74-year-old patient says belongings stolen at St. Paul's hospital

A 74-year-old man is upset after he said someone made off with belongings from his room at St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon.

Donald Linklater from Estevan, Sask. was waiting for surgery on Aug. 6, when he was given permission to leave the hospital with his daughter. He got back later to find his glasses, clothes and travel bag were gone.
 
Linklater said he doesn’t expect to get the items back again, but he’d like to see better security at the hospital in the wake of the theft.
 
“Why isn’t somebody stationed at the door and after, say, 9 o’clock at night? (If) someone comes through there, ‘Where are you going?’ And if you can’t give a reason — bingo, you’re out,” he said.
 
His daughter Michelle said hospital staff seemed to be all too used to hearing about patients having their belongings stolen.
 
“We reported it, and kind of the feedback we get is, ‘Well, do you not know the area that you’re in?'” she said.

Michelle said after the incident, she found people brazenly selling stolen items right out front of the hospital doors.

“I spent the whole day down in there. I don’t even want to say what all I could buy and for how cheap I could buy it,” she said during an appearance on Gormley Monday morning. 

Linklater said she even got a line on what she believes are her father’s eyeglasses.

“I’m looking at buying my dad’s glasses today. I’m meeting up with someone, so there’s a good chance I’ll be able to buy my dad’s glasses today,” she said. 

On Monday afternoon, CKOM News reporter JT Marshall encountered a man selling items outside St. Paul’s Hospital. It’s unknown if the goods were connected to any thefts.

Saskatoon police have not received a formal complaint regarding the alleged activity outside the hospital doors, according to spokesperson Alyson Edwards.

Edwards confirmed Linklater had filed a report about the stolen items, but not the activity outside the hospital.

She encouraged the public to call police when they notice strange activity.

In an emailed statement, the Saskatoon Health Region said it can’t take responsibility for stolen property.

The statement noted patients are urged not to leave valuables in their rooms. They said there are closets and bedside tables in the rooms where items can be stored out of sight.