Coronation Street fans were left angry last night after Steve McDonald shouted at the doctor while his son Oliver lay in intensive care.
Steve and Oliver’s mother, Leanne Battersby, are going through every parent’s worst nightmare as Oliver faces a life-limiting diagnosis.
On Monday (May 18), the doctor told Steve and Leanne they were looking at a diagnosis of mitochondrial disease for the little lad. But they were urged not to go on the internet researching the condition until the doctors could tell them more about it.
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Steve, of course, Googled it, and began to feel a bit more upbeat as he discovered there are different levels of the illness and that some people have lived full lives.
Wanting to stay positive, Steve decided they needed answers and made an appointment to see the doctor.
Steve wants answers in Coronation Street
Doctor Ward told them she would “urge caution” over looking things up until they could “conclusively diagnose the condition”. She explained until all the tests were back they wouldn’t know for sure what was wrong and how bad it was.
But Steve persisted that he needed to know what strain Oliver has and the doctor told him there were different forms and they didn’t know which type Oliver is dealing with at the moment.
Steve lashed out: “Well, I’m sorry, but you need to work faster.”
Dr Ward continued to apologise. She said she understood how difficult it was, but they needed to trust everything possible was being done to help.
“I need to know now, I’m sorry, but I need to know whether my son is going to live or die,” Steve hit back. A distraught Leanne got up and walked out, unable to listen to any more.
He later told Leanne he didn’t trust the doctors and he believed they knew something that they weren’t telling them. He raged that Dr Ward was “useless” and he was going to keep checking the internet.
“I don’t trust her as far as I can throw her,” he spat. But Leanne told him they didn’t need him falling out with the doctors, and to leave it.
Guess Steve won’t be clapping for carers this Thursday then.
Viewers at home agreed and were not happy with the way Steve dealt with the situation. They didn’t think it was fair to lash out at the NHS. Some suggested the show was portraying the service in the bad light.
What did viewers say?
I wish soap operas would stop undermining the NHS. Stop making characters want a second opinion or if something doesn’t go their way make them ‘decide to go private.’ Stop undermining the NHS, start promoting it and the work it does. #Corrie
— Dean (@DeanMSimons) May 20, 2020
I believe that a lot of the bad behaviour towards NHS staff comes from the actions of fictional characters in soaps behaving like prat’s leading to the village idiots out there to copy them STOP IT NOW #Corrie
— mushroom (@Mushroom464) May 20, 2020
That’s it Steve berate the NHS staff member ! #Corrie
— Steve (@Steve22303006) May 20, 2020
Steve the doctors don’t magically know what’s wrong with people straight away #Corrie
— 🌈 ⭐️ Dion ⭐️ 🌈 (@DionPetrie) May 20, 2020
Steve, I know you’re upset but you’re acting like a dick. #Corrie
— Vivy Randolph 😻🇬🇧🏴👩❤️👨 (@Vivy1981) May 20, 2020
Guess Steve won’t be clapping for carers this Thursday then ! #Corrie
— Steve (@Steve22303006) May 20, 2020
Don’t shout at the doctors Steve they are trying their best #Corrie
— 🌈 ⭐️ Dion ⭐️ 🌈 (@DionPetrie) May 20, 2020
Wind it in, Steve. That’s not the way this works. #Corrie
— St Mick (@macnamara60) May 20, 2020
What happened next?
Things got more heated later on in the episode when Nick couldn’t handle the banter between Steve and Leanne.
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Sitting by Oliver’s bedside they reminisced about when he was a baby and laughed at one of his toys, a scary clown. But as they joked, Nick stormed off, unable to listen to it.
He told Leanne the lighthearted laughter was too much when Oliver was fighting for his life. However, Leanne didn’t see his point of view at all and ordered him to leave the hospital.
Will they make up?
Coronation Street is on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7.30pm on ITV.
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