B.C. MLA demands government action following ER closures

After a series of emergency department closures throughout B.C., local leaders are calling on the province to address health-care shortages that are hampering residents' ability to get timely care.

B.C. United MLA Dan Davies, who represents the Peace River North riding, penned a letter to Health Minister Adrian Dix following the overnight closure of the emergency room at the Fort St. John Hospital for the fifth day in one week.

On July 17, the Northern Health Authority posted on its Fort St. John and Area Facebook group, alerting residents that the emergency room at the Fort St. John Hospital would be closed for 18 hours, starting at 4 p.m. local time that day, about 2½ hours before the closure began. 

"Folks were fed up," he told CBC's Daybreak North host Carolina de Ryk.

"One of the things that you want is an emergency department that is there to help. And when that is not there … there's obviously a level of fear that is part of that. So it's not a good situation."

It's just one of many gaps in B.C.'s health-care system that residents and members of all levels of government have been asking for several years to have fixed.

In addition to Fort St. John, several other emergency rooms were closed in July, including those in Chetwynd, Lillooet, Williams Lake and Oliver.

The Nicola Valley Hospital in Merritt, B.C., was closed for 26 hours over the weekend during extreme heat and as the community was bringing in evacuees from communities fleeing wildfires. 

Merritt Mayor Michael Goetz described the closure as "concerning" and "ridiculous."

"We are getting to the point where, just let us know when it's gonna be open rather than closed because I'm not sure which one is going to be better," he told CBC.

More notice

In the letter to the health minister, Davies said he'd like to see health authorities give residents more notice about emergency room closures. 

"I've spoken to people at the hospital that were very aware of these closures," he said. 

"There is obviously much more notice than the two-hour notice that is being given to residents. It's a travesty what's happening right now, quite frankly."

In an email statement to CBC, Dix said work to fill shifts in emergency rooms happens until the last minute in order to prevent closures. 

"When teams are notified that a diversion needs to take place, a community notification and notification to stakeholders goes out as soon as possible. I know the health authorities do their very best to ensure this is done immediately," he said in an email. 

More doctors

Long-term, Davies wants the province to put more effort into training more doctors and making more accommodations for foreign-trained health-care workers.

During a housing announcement on Monday, Premier David Eby said the province has been doing just that—making it easier for internationally trained health-care professionals to work in B.C. and opening a new medical school.

In December, the province announced more than 600 foreign-trained doctors had been registered in B.C., in 2023. 

According to the latest data provided by the health minister, more than 700 additional family physicians were working in B.C., in 2023 compared to 2022. It also shows that 926 international medical graduates were licensed to practise in B.C. between Jan. 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024. 

"I know that's not enough when people are facing a closed emergency room," Eby said. "This is a situation that demands government taking action."

While he criticized the B.C. Conservatives and the party's plan to significantly reduce government spending for health care, he didn't allude to any further action his government may take to alleviate the strain on rural emergency services. 

However, Dix said the province continues to focus on hiring more staff and strengthening the program for provincial locum doctors, medical professionals who can temporarily substitute for a practice's regular doctor.