Editor: My husband has been in Langley Memorial Hospital for three weeks now. In the last couple of days, they have been able to put him in a wheelchair so that I could take him outside for some fresh air.
We were under the impression that there was no smoking allowed around or near the hospital, but found out differently when we found a space that we wanted to sit in outside, and four patients came along and were about to light up right by us.
I asked one of them not to smoke around us and he got somewhat lippy, but moved on. However, his other comrades (one in a wheelchair) were agitated that I dared to tell them they could not smoke in that area.
The sign was right there on the wall, saying: No Smoking,” but Mr. Mouth insisted that it said they could smoke there. I guess he didn’t do so well in reading and writing in school.
My peeve is that when you go to the hospital for health reasons you should not be allowed to smoke, no matter what. I want to know why this is not being enforced at the hospital, and why those of us who don’t smoke must walk through this stink they are making.
Perhaps B.C. Medical should refuse to pay any costs incurred for their care at hospitals if they insist on smoking. After all, smokers are costing taxpayers extra money, due to prolonged stays in the hospital from inhaling toxic materials in cigarettes.
These patients continued to harass us until we found it necessary to leave the area we were in. I informed the nurse in charge of my husband’s care and she told me I should have called for security — but where do you do that?
I will pursue this matter until such time as all hospitals put a full ban on patients bringing cigarettes to the hospital and thinking it is their right to smoke if they wish. They are costing taxpayers unnecessary expense, due to their ignorance and disobedience of the “no smoking” laws.
Name withheld by request
