Kids needing surgery will be flown from Vancouver Island to Vancouver after pediatric surgeon takes 'unanticipated' leave
A shortage of pediatric surgeons on Vancouver Island has hospitals there on pediatric diversion, meaning any children who need surgery will be sent to Vancouver for care.
The diversion began Friday and CTV News Vancouver has learned that health officials don’t have an exact date on when the situation will change
“Due to the unanticipated short-term leave of one of the two surgeons providing pediatric general surgery at Victoria General Hospital, the majority of Vancouver Island pediatric patients requiring surgery will need to be transferred to BC Children’s’ Hospital for care,” explained a Ministry of Health spokesperson in an email, adding the other surgeon was already on scheduled time off.
BC Children’s Hospital is the backstop for pediatric units across the province and supports children’s care in such rare events.
“While the surgeon is away for several weeks, we anticipate the period of diversion will not last that long as Island Health continues to advance plans to have surgical coverage in place as soon as possible,” added the spokesperson.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.