A Calgary woman is looking for answers after being listed as “deceased” for months on Alberta health reporting site, Netcare.
Irene Jaime, a busy mother of five, told Global News it all started back in May when her husband got a phone call from her doctor’s office.
“The first question he got was, ‘Is your wife, ok?'” she relayed. “So, my husband says, ‘Why, what happened?'”
What happened, according to Jaime, was that her doctor had tried to submit a claim for services but it was rejected.
“It (said) coverage terminated … When they checked Netcare they saw that I was deceased,” she said.
Jaime got her pharmacist to check the site for her, and it said that Irene Jaime had died back on March 24, 2024, two days before her 44th birthday.
“So, I didn’t even know that I didn’t make my birthday,” she said laughing.
Jaime said at first it was funny, but after calling Netcare repeatedly and getting few answers, she was no longer laughing. She told Netcare her next call would be to the media, and said she got a call Monday afternoon.
“I got a call from one of their (Netcare) staff saying, ‘Congratulations! You’re alive again!'”
Jaime said she was told everything would be reinstated but added no one could tell her how it happened in the first place.
“I need to know who did access my record. That’s my right,” she pointed out. “I have to know who accessed my record.
“Who made me deceased?”
Government response
Global News reached out to Alberta’s health minister’s office with a request for answers. Alberta Health told us it is “looking into this issue.”
“We want to ensure Netcare is a user friendly, secure service and is meeting the needs of all Albertans,” a statement read.
Jaime is happy she has her account reinstated adding she was afraid to access healthcare services, including emergency services, with the previous “deceased” designation.
She said she didn’t know if she’d be able to get help or that she’d have to pay for it.