VIDEO: Staffing rural ERs seven days a week top priority, says Health P.E.I. chair

CARDIGAN, P.E.I. — Recruiting sufficient physicians to workers emergency rooms in rural hospitals seven days per week is the highest precedence of Well being P.E.I., the board chair advised SaltWire.

Diane Griffin, who took over the position in February 2023 after Derek Key resigned two months earlier, mentioned the health-care system is popping the nook however it will take some time earlier than Islanders see outcomes of the efficiencies Well being P.E.I. is at present enterprise.

In an interview following Well being P.E.I.’s board assembly on June 28, the previous Canadian senator mentioned issues at present being skilled at Western Hospital in Alberton and Kings County Memorial Hospital (KCMH) in Montague are difficult.

“The massive scarcity of workers is the actual killer for Montague and for Western Hospital,” Griffin mentioned.

“Till we get extra workers into the system, these hospitals are going to have an issue and that’s to maintain their emergency rooms open through the regular working hours. The aim of Well being P.E.I. is definitely to get these again into operation on a full-time foundation.”

That won’t essentially imply 24-hour service, however she mentioned Well being P.E.I. desires to have the ability to function the emergency rooms between 8 a.m. and eight p.m. seven days per week. Each hospital emergency rooms have confronted repeated closures as a consequence of lack of workers with KCMH just lately asserting that its emergency room shall be closed on weekends till October.

Retaining medical doctors

Dr. Michael Gardam, CEO of Well being P.E.I., mentioned recruiting medical doctors isn’t the one drawback; maintaining those which might be right here is simply as huge a problem.

In the course of the assembly, Gardam advised board members his workers meets with each physician who decides to depart in an effort to see if a approach will be discovered to maintain them.

He famous that whereas Well being P.E.I. has some affect with salaried physicians as a result of it pays the physician and their workers, it has a lot much less affect over fee-for-service medical doctors. These medical doctors resolve what sort of service they run and pay their very own workers.

Gardam additionally mentioned that just lately there have been many physicians who’ve damaged contracts they signed with the province. In some instances, these medical doctors not need to present a service they agreed to supply.

“We attempt to negotiate with them,” Gardam mentioned.

Gardam mentioned P.E.I. is going through the identical points each hospital throughout the nation is: a basic scarcity of medical doctors and nurses. Canada is predicted to be brief 43,000 medical doctors by 2024. However, he famous that individuals don’t need to hear concerning the challenges confronted elsewhere.

“We’ve turn out to be extra environment friendly with the sources that we’ve got however that’s like treading water, you may solely try this for thus lengthy earlier than the variety of folks (residing and coming to P.E.I.) overwhelms you,” Gardam advised SaltWire following the assembly.

“The massive factor for us is to have the ability to recruit and all people is pulling out all of the stops making an attempt to get folks.”

“We’ve turn out to be extra environment friendly with the sources that we’ve got however that’s like treading water, you may solely try this for thus lengthy earlier than the variety of folks (residing and coming to P.E.I.) overwhelms you.” – Dr. Michael Gardam, CEO of Well being P.E.I.

ICU at PCH

The chief govt officer of Well being P.E.I. additionally advised the board he’s in favour of working an intensive care unit at Prince County Hospital in Summerside. In Might, a scarcity of inner medication physicians led to the closure of the ICU. It was transformed right into a progressive care unit, a facility managed by household physicians, hospitalists and nursing workers.

“The internists didn’t need to work on the PCH. We didn’t have a selection there,’’ Gardam mentioned.

Griffin mentioned she agrees an ICU is required at Prince County Hospital, nevertheless it must be sustainable.

“It may’t be too small as a result of as quickly because it loses one physician the system collapses,” she mentioned.

“It has to have sufficient folks in order that it might probably work and be viable and it has to work in collaboration with (Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown) as a result of QEH might, at occasions, should ship sufferers to Prince County Hospital and vice-versa if one is full and the opposite has availability.”

Affected person registry

Following is the affected person registry, by county, in P.E.I. as of June 6, 2023:

• Central Queens, 1,914
• East Prince, 5,931
• Jap Kings, 476
• Queens, 16,025
• Southern Kings, 2,171
• West Prince, 4,054
• Complete, 30,571

Supply: Government of P.E.I.

Chair responds

SaltWire requested Griffin to answer a few of her predecessor’s suggestions.

When Derek Key resigned in December 2022, he made a degree of suggesting that Well being P.E.I. ought to function at arms-length from the province.

Griffin mentioned that could be a difficult matter.

“We’re in a scenario the place we will’t depart the province out of the image. The province must be concerned. To begin with, it passes the provincial finances,” Griffin mentioned.

“It’s additionally accountable for laws … they should be a accomplice, Well being P.E.I. must be a accomplice, the entire people within the province are a part of the system, too. They’re all stakeholders so it’s not a easy system.”

Key has additionally mentioned that Well being P.E.I. ought to have management over the hiring of well being workers as a substitute of the Public Service Fee.

Griffin agreed Well being P.E.I. ought to have a stronger position than it has prior to now.

“I do know there was good dialogue between representatives of the (Division of Well being and Wellness) and the (P.E.I.) medical society and Well being P.E.I. via Dr. Gardam. They’re beginning to work collectively in a extra collaborative approach. We’re too small (a province) to have all people going off and making an attempt to do their very own factor.”

Affected person registry

Following is the affected person registry, by county, in P.E.I. as of June 6, 2023:

• Central Queens, 1,914
• East Prince, 5,931
• Jap Kings, 476
• Queens, 16,025
• Southern Kings, 2,171
• West Prince, 4,054
• Complete, 30,571

Supply: Government of P.E.I.

Dave Stewart is a well being reporter with SaltWire in Prince Edward Island. He will be reached by e mail at [email protected] and adopted on Twitter @DveStewart.