Northern Health to the courts in quest of payment for Seafarer care from 2021

A 2021 visit to Prince Rupert Regional Hospital and then 
Mills Memorial in Terrace is making for a court filing
over foreign seafarer health care in the Northwest

An eight day stay in Northwest medical facilities in January of 2021 by a crew member of the cargo vessel Morning Cloud is now the subject of a Notice of Claim in the BC Supreme Court in Vancouver.

The Prince George Citizen has charted the story that now has made it to the courts and highlights the introduction of the claim in late March.

The newspaper providing some background to the story of the International mariner who was first taken to Prince Rupert Regional Hospital for care and then to Mills Memorial Hospital for further medical attention.

As a foreign mariner, the patient was not covered under BC's MSP health care program and by the time he was released, Northern Health had delivered a bill of $45,489 to the ships broker GW Nickerson in Prince Rupert, that to be forwarded to the Morning Cloud's owners in England.

Northern Health has alleged that the shipping company has not made payment, the defendants have yet to reply to the Notice of Claim. 

A vessel in Prince Rupert Harbour, a current court filing
in Vancouver outlines some of the challenges
for local Health when Mariners become ill

The full details can be reviewed from the Citizen story here, the Prince George paper also paid the six dollar court required fee for the Notice of Claim, which you can review here.

The story and the legal documentation provides for an interesting look at something we likely don't think much about on our side of the waterfront, that of the care for International Seafarers should they come ill while in Port at Prince Rupert.

More notes on themes from Northern Health can be reviewed here.