Every day, healthcare workers across B.C. get up and go to work, knowing it’s going to be a challenging day. Faced with understaffed clinics and hospitals, thousands of patients who don’t have access to primary care, a lack of support from health authorities, long hours, and the stress of the last three years, it’s no wonder so many healthcare workers are dealing with burnout.
Staffing issues are plaguing our entire healthcare system, but we have firsthand experience with the problem right here in the Cariboo. Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake is dealing with a dire staff shortage and it is having a dramatic impact not just on the community, but the surrounding region as well.
At present, the emergency department is being staffed by only two and a half staff physicians — this for a department that Interior Health considers fully staffed with eight or nine doctors. Hospital staff are doing their best to look after patients in need, but it is impossible to provide the highest quality of care when you only have a quarter of the support you need.
Adding to the problem is the chronic shortage of family doctors in the region, with an estimated 8,000 people still without a family doctor. The area will soon be losing two more doctors, meaning that number is about to increase even further.
When people do not have a family doctor, it puts greater stress on the hospital, to the point where Interior Health is starting to consider sending any unattached patients to other hospitals rather than admitting them to Cariboo Memorial. As a result, we may see more people being sent to our hospital here in 100 Mile House or Royal Inland Hospital — both of which have staffing issues of their own — simply because there are not enough doctors in Williams Lake to care for them.
It’s a continued domino effect we’ve seen throughout rural B.C. in the last two years, with one hospital reaching its breaking point leading to increased pressure and stress on those around it.
It’s clear that action is needed to address this critical situation. Health Minister Adrian Dix needs to step in and provide relief — because it’s clear Interior Health cannot solve this problem. We need clear solutions like bringing more doctors to our region, considering a pathway back to employment for unvaccinated healthcare workers, allowing physician assistants to practice in B.C., and most importantly, working to retain the hardworking staff we have right now.
These are not new problems, but they are growing more serious by the day. Healthcare workers want to help. They have no shortage of suggestions and potential solutions. Government just needs to be willing to listen, and then act.
newsroom@100milefreepress.net
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