Doctor shortage means patients in labour to be diverted from B.C. hospital into next month
A shortage of pediatricians means pregnant patients will still be diverted from a Metro Vancouver hospital into August.
The Fraser Health Authority said those who planned to give birth at Peace Arch Hospital will instead be sent elsewhere between July 30 and Aug. 9.
This is due to a shortage of pediatricians at the site, and is not the first of these notifications. Citing a "gap" in staffing, patients who had pre-existing plans to deliver at the Surrey hospital were also diverted for an 11-day stretch earlier in July.
The health authority said in a statement Tuesday that a new contract is in the works, which should result in a larger staff of pediatricians in Surrey. Additionally, a plan is in place to provide pediatric care from Aug. 9 to the end of the year, Fraser Health said.
But until then, a "relatively small number of expecting individuals" will be sent elsewhere to give birth.
According to the health authority, its priority is ensuring babies and their parents have access to urgent care when they need it, and the temporary diversion is to help make this possible.
Other health-care services at the hospital are unaffected by this diversion.
Earlier in July, when the first diversion was announced, a midwife told CTV News it's not uncommon in B.C. for a hospital to be unable to accommodate a mother in labour.
"It seems to be a lack of forward thinking and planning for capacity," said one midwife, who works in the Fraser Health region and asked to remain anonymous. She said mothers are diverted almost daily at Surrey Memorial Hospital, for example.
A doctor who works as a pediatrician in the health region said one of the factors in these shortages is that it can be difficult to recruit staff for smaller hospitals, like Peace Arch.
Dr. Michael Smith said the hospital sees about 800 births a year and the maternity unit is small, making it hard to attract doctors who generally like to be busy, and care for babies and older children in addition to the newborns seen at Peace Arch.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Mary Cranston
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.