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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.