More physicians at Kelowna General Hospital are raising concerns about the current state of pediatric care at the facility.
Over 130 doctors from the hospital’s Anesthesiology, Surgery, and Obstetrics and Gynecology departments have issued a public statement about what they’re calling an unprecedented crisis.
“This kind of closure hasn’t happened at a hospital this size in British Columbia before,” the physicians stated.
KGH serves 250,000 people in the local area and is the main referral hospital for the Interior Health Authority, which covers 900,000 people.
From May 26 to July 4, the hospital’s in-patient pediatric service, responsible for providing care to children who need to stay overnight, will be closed. This interruption could even be extended.
IHA has said that only children needing admission to the pediatric unit will be affected and that nothing will change for the general public.
However, the doctors said this creates a significant gap in the care that families expect from a hospital of this importance.
During the closure, all planned pediatric surgeries are canceled, and emergency surgeries will only proceed for the most severe cases. If performed, these surgeries will take place at KGH, but children might need to recover at another hospital with pediatric specialists. Additionally, anesthesia for diagnostics, such as MRIs, will also be postponed.
Emergency care at KGH will still be available, but families needing a pediatric specialist will face “great uncertainty,” according to the statement.
The physicians blame a national shortage of pediatricians for the situation but point out that Kelowna has over 20 pediatricians, with only five currently working at KGH.
Many have resigned recently, citing burnout and overwhelming workloads from covering multiple areas like neonatal ICU, emergency, inpatient units, clinics, and ICU care.
The doctors are calling for KGH to be upgraded to a “Tier 5 hospital,” a designation that would ensure better pediatric resources, including more specialists, a larger neonatal ICU, and a dedicated pediatric emergency unit.
“KGH is not a small-town hospital,” the statement reads. “It is a major tertiary care center serving a vast area twice the size of Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland combined.”
The doctors urge the government to invest in pediatric care at KGH to levels seen in places like Victoria.
They are also calling on the public to push for change by contacting local officials and health authorities.
“Children in our region deserve better,” the physicians said.
