Wrong patient sent to Surrey, B.C., home after hospital discharge

SURREY — A B.C. man who was shocked when a hospital transfer service delivered a confused stranger to his home, instead of his father, says he doesn’t want other seniors to experience the same trauma.

Sunny Hundal says his 84-year-old father, who was in Surrey Memorial Hospital after suffering breathing problems, was supposed to be sent back to their home in Surrey on Dec. 22.

But while he and his father were waiting at the hospital for the transfer, Hundal got a call from his wife saying the transfer vehicle had already turned up outside their house and was dropping off a stranger.

Hundal says the man was in a wheelchair and appeared confused, was unable to speak, and was dressed in a thin hospital gown.

Hundal says his dad got home safely the next day, but he says he decided to speak up so others wouldn’t go through the same experience.

Fraser Health says both patients were returned safely to their homes, and that “all appropriate steps” in the hospital discharge process were followed, while Hospital Transfers, the company contracted to provide the authority’s non-emergency patient transport, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 31, 2025.

The Canadian Press