‘We need to see more done’: Family of Samwel Uko reacts to SHA apology

Note: The video in the article may be disturbing for some people.

“Satisfied” isn’t the word the family of Samwel Uko would use when describing the public apology from the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

“On one hand it’s good that the hospital is taking responsibility for the mistake it made but on the other hand we lost a son, we lost a nephew, we lost an uncle and it’s very painful for us … The father who lost his son was looking forward to (watching him) grow up and become a man,” Uko’s uncle, Justin Nyee, said.

“(The apology) gives the family a little peace but at the same time it’s a little too late for us. We need to see more done before we can say our son did not die in vain.”

Uko, 20, died of an apparent suicide after trying to seek help at the Regina General Hospital on May 21. A video was given to the family that shows Uko crying out for help while being escorted out of the hospital by security guards.

“It is a very disturbing video to watch. It was very hard as a family to sit down and watch that and see how he was treated. Some of us did not even finish it. The mom, she could not handle it. It just shows there was no concern. He was literally sitting there crying, “I need help, people help me,’ ” Nyee said.

“It’s sickening that no one had the compassion to another human being that was sitting there crying. I watched it once and I couldn’t watch it again.”

In light of Uko’s case, the SHA vowed to improve its registration and triage processes, adapt its COVID-19 screening and visitation protocols, improve its information-sharing processes with partner organizations, address the gaps in the process for removing someone from an SHA facility, improve the co-ordination of mental health supports within the ER, and strengthen the Stop the Line Protocol.

The family has also shared recommendations with the SHA.

“One of our recommendations for them was cultural sensitivity and a diverse workforce. They need to co-ordinate the work between the agencies that work there and the people that work there,” Nyee said.

“What happened to Samwel was a breakdown of the system. It wasn’t only one person’s fault, it was everyone who interacted with him. There has to be some concern over the human being and not just concern over the paperwork and all of the stuff. That needs to be done because mental health is a big problem and we don’t want to lose another person.”

The family would also like to have a room named after Uko as a reminder of what went wrong that day.

“It should be a reminder to them that whenever someone asks what happened to Samwel, people will remember that that should not happen again in that hospital,” Nyee said. “What they did to him was wrong on every level — a professional level and a human level. It was not something that should have happened.”

Nyee also encourages families to discuss mental health, noting the family wasn’t aware of exactly how much trouble Uko was in.

“Even though he went to the hospital seeking help, it was at the last minute. If we had known about it earlier, things would have been different. Families need to address this issue, families need to talk about it. There shouldn’t be any stigma,” Nyee said.