Family says steep bill for hospital TV service unfair to patients and their loved ones

The family of a woman hospitalized at Seven Oaks General Hospital say they have been billed hundreds of dollars just to turn the TV on in her room, a cost they say is too high for what is sometimes the only entertainment for those confined to a hospital bed.

Jennifer Shannacappo says her mother, Louella Shannacappo, has been hospitalized at Seven Oaks since November.

Thinking it wouldn't cost too much, Shannacappo said the family decided to pay for TV service in her mother's room, so she could watch hockey while she recovers.

But when they inquired about paying for the services, they were told it would be close to $200 just for two weeks.

The bill ended up being $330.19 for 30 days, an "insane" price for such a short period,she said.

"That's a lot of money to be doling out just for a month of TV in the hospital," Shannacappo said.

"She doesn't get a lot of channels, so I don't understand why we have to pay that amount of money for just the small TV."

Connection to the outside world

The family was paying for the premium package, but that was because the cheaper option didn't have as many channels as they wanted.

Despite the high cost, Shannacappo said she has decided to keep paying for the service anyway to keep her mother in good spirits while she is in the hospital for the next few weeks.

"We want to make sure that she remains happy, positive, healthy," she said.

"So if it's us dishing out 330 bucks, it will at least kind of make her happy while we can't visit her every single day, 24-hours a day while she's in there."

Still, Shannacappo said she thinks the price is unfair, especially to low-income people, given that most non-premium cable packages cost about $60 to $70 a month.

"You know TV, it's an everyday thing that's in our life. It's not a need. It's just there for entertainment value," she said.

"But for people who are in the hospital, at least it kind of gives them a connection to the outside world. They get to at least read or hear the news or watch their favourite TV program."

Service is optional, WRHA says

The hospital has a contract with Hospitality Network Canada Inc. to provide entertainment services for patients.

The rate for daily rental of basic television service is $12.50 per day and premium service is $15.00 per day, a spokesperson for Hospitality Network Canada Inc. said in a statement. When services are purchased for a month the price per day is reduced to $8.02 per day for basic and $ 9.74 per day premium on a 30-day rental.

"Hospitality Network in conjunction with Seven Oaks General Hospital Foundation offers reduced fee for these services to patients who typically have longer stays in the hospital and will also consider other reduced rate requests for compassionate reasons on a per request basis," said Paul Hemburrow, chief customer officer for Hospitality Network Canada.

Asked to comment, Paul Turenne, a spokesman for the Winnipeg Regional Hospital Authority, said the television service is optional and patients are "fully aware" of the costs upfront.

He added that the Seven Oaks General Hospital Foundation provides free wi-fi to all patients and their families, "so they have the option of bringing in their own devices to watch their programs."

"The foundation also recently purchased new television sets for every patient lounge, for those who have the option of watching TV in the lounge."

Speaking from her hospital bed, Louella Shannacappo said that although she has a laptop and tablet, she can't use them right now because of her health. She's confined to her room, so the TV in there is her only source of entertainment.

"You know there's very limited things that I could do for myself," she said.

"So I just totally think it's so unfair that people that are offering these services are gouging the patients."