Doctor departures latest challenge for Pontiac Hospital

Keeping the Pontiac Hospital's birthing unit open for women in labour is about to get even harder, as two of the five doctors in the obstetrics unit will be leaving by the new year.

The Shawville, Que., hospital is already dealing with a chronic nursing shortage in its gynecology and obstetrics unit, which caused five temporary ward closures in one month this fall and forced women to be sent to the Gatineau Hospital — roughly 100 kilometres away — to have their babies.

The unit, which serves about 12 patients a month, requires five doctors and 12 specialized nurses to operate.

As of this week, there are only seven trained nurses on the job, and CBC has learned two doctors have handed in their notice.

The Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l'Outaouais (CISSSO), the Outaouais public health agency, is now scrambling to find replacements by January. 

"The situation is precarious," said Robert Giard, assistant director of human resources, communications and legal affairs with CISSSO.

In a French-language interview with Radio-Canada, Giard said scheduling to keep the unit open "involves a bit of acrobatics."

Some relief came this week for the nursing shortage, when two nurses specializing in obstetric care arrived on loan from a hospital in Montreal.

CISSSO is paying for their meals, lodging and travel costs.  

Giard explained the two nurses are only a temporary solution, and there's no wiggle room for illnesses or resignations.

"It's really the commitment of the staff that makes it possible to keep the unit open," said Giard. "It's extraordinary."  

CISSSO has been actively trying to recruit nurses directly from schools, as well as from France, as a long-term fix. The agency has also posted jobs for two full-time positions to help with recruitment in the Pontiac region.

Health authorities are also soliciting the help of retired nurses in the Pontiac region already trained in obstetrics to mentor new nurses.

Overtime soaring

The union representing health care workers in western Quebec, Syndicat des professionnelles en soins de l'Outaouais, said CISSSO has to find a long-term solution before the remaining staff burn out. 

Data obtained by CBC shows that obstetric nurses at Shawville Hospital worked 582 overtime hours in a two-month period earlier this year.

Union head Patrick Guay said hospital workers are exhausted — and that poses a "very big risk."

"They want to give the maximum, but having fewer people on the job is difficult and it adds to the load and stress," Guay said.

"And when people are exhausted, we are more likely to make mistakes."

While bringing in staff from other hospitals is welcome, Guay called that only a "band-aid" solution.

Patients concerned with distance

Meanwhile, the frequent shutdowns are stressing out patients like Marie Pier Carle.

The Litchfield, Que., woman is due to give birth to her first child this month, but still doesn't know where that will happen.

She'd like to experience her first birth in her own community, with French-speaking staff already familiar with her pregnancy.

But if the Pontiac Hospital unit isn't adequately staffed when she goes into labour, Carle said she'll have to go to the Gatineau Hospital — or possibly even cross the border and give birth in Pembroke, Ont.  

Carle fears she could wind up with in the same predicament as a woman from the region who gave birth in the ambulance last month. She also worries about driving 90 minutes each way back and forth from Gatineau if they arrive in hospital too early.

"It's 20 minutes to go to Shawville. But we would have to drive an hour and a half if we're forced to go to Gatineau," she said.

"That's a concern."