‘Organization in crisis’: Conservative Kelowna MLA calling for Interior Health CEO to be removed

The BC Conservative Party is calling for Interior Health CEO Susan Brown to resign or be removed after public outcry over the closure of the pediatric ward at Kelowna General Hospital.

In a statement, MLA Gavin Dew says the health authority can’t be fixed unless there is a change in leadership.

“I am calling for Susan Brown to immediately resign as CEO of Interior Health so that we can reset an organization in crisis,” Dew said in a statement Friday.

“If she will not resign, I am calling for Minister of Health Josie Osborne to take immediate action to dismiss Ms. Brown and appoint an interim CEO while a permanent leadership transition is completed.”

Dew says since the six-week pediatric ward closure was announced, there’s been a “growing drumbeat” of healthcare workers, including pediatricians, expressing alarm about the state of the healthcare system.

“It has become painfully clear that the current leadership of Interior Health has lost the confidence of both the people who work there and the people it is meant to serve,” Dew said.

This comes just days after 13 Kelowna-area pediatricians issued a letter saying the health authority has ignored issues they’ve been raising for a long time.

In the letter, the doctors say the hospital is severely underresourced.

“Today, there are only four pediatricians and one newborn specialist working at KGH,” it said.

“At baseline, there should be 12.”

Interior Health says the issue is partly due to a global pediatrician shortage. However, Doctors of BC president Charlene Lui says it isn’t just about a lack of doctors in the community.

“It’s about ensuring that the working conditions in the hospital are such that the pediatricians feel safe and heard to come back to working in the hospitals,” Lui said.

Osborne says she has communicated her expectations to the health authority to deal with the closure but says publicly attacking individuals doesn’t get anything done.

“At all times — and especially times like this — it is vital that we all work together on solutions, both short-term and long-term,” she said in a statement.

She said she has offered support to Interior Health, including a neutral mediator or facilitator who can ensure all parties work together productively.

Brown tells 1130 NewsRadio she will not be stepping down, saying she appreciates Osborne’s support and welcomes the opportunity to work with the ministry to deal with the situation.

“I’m committed to finishing my term strong and dedicated to providing the frontline care teams the tools they need to support patients and their families,” she said.