According to Island Health, the Port McNeill Hospital emergency room is once again closing its doors due to staff shortages.
The ER at North Island Hospital will be closed from 7 a.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday.
Island Health says that no new patients will be admitted to the hospital during this period.
The health authority says anyone in need of emergency care should call 911 or go to Port Hardy Hospital.
“Island Health acknowledges that this is not an ideal situation for the community and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by this temporary service reduction,” the health authority said in a statement on Thursday.
According to Island Health, anyone experiencing a medical event that is unsure whether they need emergency care can call HealthLink BC at 811 to speak to a registered nurse 24 hours a day. Can you
health crisis
This is not the first time Port McNeill Hospital has had to temporarily close its emergency room.
In March, the hospital closed its ER for the weekend due to an “unexpected temporary doctor shortage.”
On Thursday, the health authority said it was still dealing with a shortage of health care workers and that it was actively trying to fill nurse vacancies in the region.
“The staffing challenges experienced on the North Island are not unique to that region or even Island Health,” the health authority said.
“The impacts of this national issue are magnified in rural and smaller programs and sites where baseline staffing numbers are low.”
Many B.C. residents and health care workers have described the system as being in crisis in recent years, even as the premier told CTV News he thought the situation was “grave.”
Nurses rallied on the recent B.C. legislature’s moves Tuesday to call attention to workloads and mental health burnout.
Meanwhile, Victoria has the longest wait time to access walk-in clinics in the country, according to online clinic tracker Medimap, while BC has the longest average wait time of all Canadian provinces.
