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He Saved a Stranger's Life With CPR. The Reward Was a $250 Bill
An Edmonton doctor who performed CPR at a pickup basketball game was later billed by Alberta's ambulance service for checking his own vitals
Published: July 19, 2026
Dr. Ian Sutanto, a family physician in Edmonton, was playing in a father-son pickup basketball game when one of the other dads suddenly went into cardiac arrest. Sutanto and another parent immediately began CPR and used an automated external defibrillator until paramedics arrived and stabilized the man. Afterward, a paramedic checked on Sutanto himself, since he appeared winded from the exertion. Three weeks later, Sutanto was startled to receive a $250 invoice in the mail for that brief post-CPR checkup, which he had assumed was simply a courtesy. Alberta Hospital and Surgical Health Services ultimately waived the charge after he pushed back, and said it would review its ambulance billing policy. Sutanto says the experience has made him worry that steep ambulance fees could discourage other Canadians from calling for help when it matters most, even though the man he helped save has since recovered and been discharged from hospital.
