Pointed questions regarding Kelowna's pediatric care crisis were heard in the May 28, sitting of the B.C. Legislature.
The questions by Kelowna and West Kelowna Conservative MLAs came after physicians and parents spoke out against a six week planned closure of the Kelowna General Hospital's (KGH) pediatricinpatient unit, that began on May 26.
Dr. Hannah Duyvewaardt, a parent and Emergency Room doctor at KGH, brought attention to what she has deemed a "pediatric care crisis," not a doctor shortage, in Kelowna.
Dr. Duyvewaardt told Black Press that for the last few years, pediatricans in Kelowna have been asking for more positions to be opened in the hospital to relieve the pressure on the sole on-call physician, so they can provide better care to sick children.
“When frontline physicians feel they must publicly speak out about health system failures, it means internal communication has failed and the Ministry of Health has stopped listening," said Kelowna Centre MLA Kristina Loewen to Health Minister Josie Osborne.
While there are dozens of pediatricians living in Kelowna, the hospital's pediatricward will be closed for six weeks as all of the specialized physicians have stepped away from KGH and have chosen to practice medicine elsewhere.
Historically, KGH has had only one on-call pediatrician working in the hospital at a time. According to Dr. Duyvewaardt, over the last few years, staff have been vocal about the issues that arise when a sole pediatrician is responsible for all areas of the hospital. She said pediatricians in Kelowna have been asking to have more staff on at a time, but the changes have not been made.
"For years, they have advocated and said this is an unsafe work environment for patients," said Dr. Duyvewaardt. "Their voices have been silenced."
Dr. Duyvewaardt said she has watched first-hand as her colleagues are forced to decide which pager call for a sick child they will respond to first.
In a statement to Black Press, Interior Health Executive Medical Director of Community and Maternity, Dr. Hussam Azzam, confirmed that the health region has has made temporary changes to pediatric care at KGH, stating that the closures are due to limited physician availability.
Both Dr. Azzam and Minister Osborne said that in spite of the closures, people with a child who is sick or injured should still attend Kelowna General Hospital, where they will be assessed by an emergency room physician. Should more specialized care be required, plans will be made which may include transportation of the child to another hospital.
"If a child is very sick and needs to be admitted to the hospital, their care will be impacted because they're not going to be staying in Kelowna," said Dr. Duyvewaardt. "That means the child will be transported and the family will have to travel."
Dr. Duyvewaardt, however, assured all parents and guardians that emergency room care for their children will not be impacted as ER doctors and nurses are trained to care for children. The closures will only impact children and babies who need to be admitted to the general pediatric ward for an overnight stay.
Interior Health said it is working with physicians to maintain all critical care services for children, including the emergency department and neonatal intensive care unit.
"Medical staff have clearly reported that the issue is not a lack of doctors, but an unsustainable work environment where pediatricians are pressured to simultaneously cover psychiatric care for children, emergency consults, neonatal intensive care, and high-risk deliveries… With only one specialist on call at a time," said the B.C. Conservative Party in a statement after Minister Josie Osborne was questioned.
Dr. Azzam and Minister Osborne said that Interior Health is actively looking to recruit pediatricians to Kelowna and have incentives in place to entice visiting specialists to work at KGH. Further, there will be one new pediatrician starting work in Kelowna this summer.
