ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD - A Fort Liard woman's struggle to see a doctor has left her with questions about the region's medical referral process.

Elizabeth Bertrand, 58, started to feel sick on April 1. Over the next three days, her symptoms progressed to include a fever and vomiting. On April 3, she decided to go to the Fort Liard Health Centre for help.

"I couldn't drink water, eat or anything. I was just totally sick to my stomach," she said.

At the health centre, Bertrand said she received Toradol for pain and Gravol for her nausea. When she asked the nurse if she could be referred to Yellowknife, Bertrand said she was told it wouldn't be possible because there wasn't a doctor in the Fort Simpson Health Centre.

Bertrand said she requested to be put directly in contact with a doctor in Yellowknife but was again told a referral from Fort Simpson was needed first. Bertrand returned to the Fort Liard Health Centre on the following two days with worsening symptoms. On April 5, she was given fluids intravenously.

By April 6, Bertrand didn't have the strength to move from her couch to her bed.

"I was just totally, totally sick," she said.

Returning to the health centre she received another set of shots of Toradol and Gravol so she could travel and decided to take matters into her own hands.

"I said I'll find my way to (Fort) Nelson," Bertrand said.

Bertrand's partner John Diamond-C and her daughter Melissa Bertrand drove her across the border to Fort Nelson, B.C. At Airport Way Medical Clinic a doctor told her to go straight to Fort Nelson General Hospital.

A set of X-rays later, Bertrand was informed she had pneumonia in both lungs. She spent the next two weeks in the hospital.

"Man did I ever go through hell," she said.

Bertrand was released on April 19 and as of April 30, said she's still feeling the effects of her illness.

"I still need help to get in the truck," she said.

Although Bertrand had never had pneumonia before, she said she knew she needed additional medical treatment.

"I knew something was wrong. It's my body and I know when something is wrong."

Bertrand said she feels her rights were violated because she wasn't allowed to see a doctor in Yellowknife.

"It feels like nobody believed me," she said.

"It was like I was putting on a show for them."

Bertrand said she often goes to Fort Nelson when she needs medical treatment. Many people from the hamlet go across the border instead of to Fort Simpson because it's closer, she said.

"When I go to a doctor in Fort Nelson they listen to what I have to say," Bertrand said.

She said she decided to come forward with her experience because she's concerned about what could happen to elders and other residents who don't have the resources to seek their own medical attention.

"I'm willing to speak up for the community," Bertrand said.

Kathy Tsetso, chief executive officer of Dehcho Health and Social Services, confirmed there was no physician in Fort Simpson for two weeks starting on April 3 but said it shouldn't have made a difference in a case like this.

All health centre nurses have clear protocols on assessments and referrals, said Tsetso. Patients in Fort Liard aren't typically referred to Fort Simpson, they generally go directly to Yellowknife.

If a nurse feels a patient's symptoms require the next level of action they would consult with a doctor in the emergency room at Stanton Territorial Hospital. A medical director was also on call and available to nurses in the Deh Cho during this time period, Tsetso said.

"The nurses follow their protocols," she said.

Tsetso said in Bertrand's case she was treated based on the symptoms she exhibited. If a client has a problem with care they've received there is a clear process available for them to lodge a complaint, she said. A pamphlet on the process is available at all health centres.

People do have a right to go into B.C. for treatment, but it can cause problems because physicians are under no obligations to forward reports of treatment back to the territory, Tsetso said. Cross-border travel has led to poor treatment because of incomplete medical histories, she said.

"It's a source of frustration for physicians that visit Fort Liard," she said.