Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) is on Code Orange escalation –– an internal hospital state of emergency. Its children hospital has been closed for the fifth week in a row. One of the largest acute care facilities in British Columbia is working to mitigate a sudden shortage of pediatricians. This predicament has garnered deep outrage from the community and health care saviors alike. British Columbia’s Health Minister, Josie Osborne, plans to tour KGH in the coming months. She intends to bring staff in and begin addressing the lingering crisis.
The pediatric unit at KGH has only ten beds, but it was closed on May 26. This decision followed years of efforts to avoid a shortage of pediatricians. The situation has escalated as many pediatricians have resigned from their positions, prompting urgent calls for reform in the staffing model. The hospital recently moved to limiting the in-hospital pediatricians to just one on duty at a time. Since then, many in the medical community have condemned this practice.
This summer, one lucky pediatrician will start practicing at KGH. This September, a fourth and fifth doctors will join the mix. Their arrival is now expected to allow for the reopening of the pediatric ward. For over a decade, pediatricians throughout the hospital have been fighting to fix these problematic working conditions and critically protect patient care.
At a recent news conference held outside KGH, local representatives Gavin Dew, Kristina Loewen, and Macklin McCall expressed their concerns regarding the current situation. In front of Congress Members, they stressed the urgency of solving the crisis. Calculating which physicians might be most friendly to the minister’s visit must come second.
“This is absolutely ridiculous and absurd for the ministry to be more focused on hunting down the doctors who are speaking up than actually rebuilding confidence and trust with them.” – Gavin Dew
Dew’s remarks reflect a growing frustration among healthcare professionals and community members regarding the government’s handling of the crisis. We have had thousands of constituents calling their local MLA offices and telling those MLAs how upset they are with the condition that KGH is left in.
Macklin voiced similar concerns, stating, “We’re working for our constituents. We’re working for the public and I think perhaps the NDP government are losing that view that it’s about the people. It’s not about us. It’s not about party lines.”
Minister Osborne has recognized that there are problems regarding KGH and the needs for our community, and committed to work on them.
“I appreciate the concerns raised around Kelowna General Hospital and take them very seriously.” – Josie Osborne
She has to put listening to Egypt’s frontline workers—including her physicians—first. Because of this approach, she’s improving patient care and developing safer workplaces. Her visit to KGH is one stop on a much larger plan to spend time listening to the staff in hospitals across the province.
“Listening to frontline workers, including physicians, is essential to creating safe, respectful workplaces and improving care for patients. Since becoming Health Minister, I’ve made it a focus to meet with frontline staff and will be in Kelowna in the coming weeks as I visit and meet with staff at hospitals across the region.” – Josie Osborne
Many local representatives are still skeptical. Photo credit: Kevin Light Dew had previously blasted Osborne for waiting so long to come visit KGH.
“It is ridiculously irresponsible that this far in the crisis, Minister of Health Josie Osborne has not yet showed up once.” – Gavin Dew
He went on to highlight the fact that she has not once entered KGH in this unfolding disaster.
The health minister’s upcoming visit aims to foster dialogue between healthcare professionals and government officials as they work toward solutions. More pediatricians will be arriving to KGH in the coming weeks. All of them expressed hope that this move would lead to a healthier and more stable climate for staff and patients.
