Postponed surgeries, 12-hour waits, 60% more inpatients in B.C. pediatric wards amid viral surges

British Columbia’s two busiest pediatric hospitals are buckling under the strain of sick kids seeking urgent medical attention, mostly due to respiratory viruses.

On Wednesday morning, the publicly available dashboard showing waits for hospitals posted a 12-hour wait to be seen at BC Children’s Hospital.

Sources tell CTV News that BCCH has been over capacity for nearly two weeks and that some young patients have been “diverted” or sent to other hospitals for treatment. They also said that the pediatric ICU is operating at 120 per cent of capacity and some surgeries are being postponed.

The sickest, most critically-ill children requiring the most urgent care continue to have the procedures they require, administrators are telling staff. Last week, the health minister didn’t deny surgical postponements and cancellations were already underway at BCCH. 

At a news conference Wednesday, Health Minister Adrian Dix was asked how many pediatric procedures had been postponed or cancelled and he refused to say, instead reiterating one of his common talking points about more overall surgeries taking place now than pre-pandemic.

Surrey Memorial Hospital is under similar strain, with Fraser Health acknowledging its pediatric emergency department had a 44 per cent surge from Nov. 3-9 compared to the same week last year.

In response to a CTV News inquiry about recent admissions, Fraser Health pediatric inpatient unit at SMH reported it has seen a 60 per cent increase in admissions compared to the same four-week period last year, with 122 patients this year versus 76 in 2021.

Dix acknowledged some hospitals have been going "on diversion" lately, which means they can no longer accept patients, who have to find another hospital to take them. 

WORSENING SITUATION

Just last week, BCCH downplayed the activation of an emergency operations centre in the face of increased patient visits, describing it as a proactive measure.

On Wednesday, health officials announced that they have activated a new province-wide system in response to a surge in admissions at pediatric hospitals.

Under the lead of BC Children’s Hospital, a dedicated "provincial pediatric table" will coordinate resources between 21 pediatric intensive care units, which are located at BC Children’s, Victoria General and University of Northern BC Hospitals.

In a policy widely described by parents and physicians as tone-deaf, BCCH urged parents to avoid hospital in favour of other treatment options, even though there’s a nation-wide shortage of cold and flu medications for kids and the family doctor crisis has patients typically waiting weeks for an appointment.

Emergency departments can be busy. Sometimes, to avoid unnecessary waits, your child’s illness could best be treated at a doctor's office, a walk-in clinic or urgent primary-care centre: https://t.co/H1vcN3NFqA pic.twitter.com/C2O1sIoL6x

— BC Children's Hospital (@BCChildrensHosp) November 11, 2022

The province has been quiet about pediatric illnesses, despite Canada’s chief medical health officer urging mask usage amid the surge in pediatric illnesses linked to a triple threat of Covid-19, influenza and Respiratory Syncitial Virus (RSV) infections soaring at the same time.

CONFLICTING ACCOUNTS OF STRAIN

Provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, broke her silence at Wednesday's briefing, where she dismissed the need for mask requirements and largely recommended them for people who are already sick.

Dix presented statistics claiming pediatric ICUs are operating at over 76 per cent capacity, and neo-natal ICUs province wide are a 64 percent capacity, noting that the numbers fluctuate daily due to the limited number of beds available.

But sources tell CTV News those numbers are misleading because they describe physical beds, many of which are unstaffed and therefore not helpful to sick kids or their families.