More ER closures in B.C.’s Interior
Posted July 19, 2024 4:56 pm.
Last Updated July 19, 2024 4:58 pm.
Two Interior B.C. communities are seeing more emergency department closures due to staffing issues.
Interior Health says that the ER at Nicola Valley Hospital in Merritt was closed as of 6 a.m. Friday, with the department not expected to reopen until 8 a.m. Saturday.
In this case, the cause was “limited physician availability.”
The health authority adds the South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver would be closed as of 7 p.m. Friday until 7 a.m. Saturday due to both “limited physician and nursing availability.”
People in the Merritt area are being told to seek care at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops or call 911 during the closure. Those in Oliver needing access to the ER are asked to go to Penticton Regional Hospital or call 911.
All other inpatient services are expected to continue at both hospitals throughout the ER closures.
This comes after a series of similar closures throughout the region and province in recent weeks and months.
Last week, the BC Nurses’ Union said the problem is preventable, adding residents and nurses deserve better.
The union said staff retention has always been an issue but added that it has been getting worse. The BCNU once again sounded the alarm, calling for the province and health authorities to take a critical look into fixing the problems leading to closures in various communities.
The province has said the issue worsens in the summer, when people call in sick or go on vacation. It said it’s working on retaining and recruiting doctors and nurses, adding ambulances, appointing casual staff to vacant and full-time positions, and providing virtual physician support at some hospitals.
Earlier this month, several ERs in the Interior were forced to close in smaller communities amid a heatwave.
