Doctor staffing shortage in Delta Hospital emergency room

Fraser Health is warning that the emergency room at the Delta Hospital will temporarily close for more than 12 hours this weekend due to a doctor staffing shortage.

It says in a news release that the interruption will take place from 6 p.m. Saturday until 6:30 a.m. Sunday.

The health authority says the 6 p.m. cutoff will ensure that all patients already in the emergency room can been seen by a physician before they end their shift at 1:30 a.m. 

It says that emergency-trained nurses will remain on site during the interruption to help walk-in patients with basic care and to help redirect or transfer patients to neighbouring hospitals.

Fraser Health says in a news release that the disruption only impacts the emergency department, and all other services at the hospital will remain available overnight.

For a Delta city councillor, the city’s emergency room closure is just another example that BC’s healthcare system is “broken,” the councillor told 1130 NewsRadio.

Councillor Dylan Kruger says this is the fourth time in the ongoing year that Delta Hospital’s ER has had to close due to staffing challenges.

“I’m tired of this repetition over and over and over again. This is a major hospital in the middle of a major metropolitan area. People have an expectation that in a country like Canada, you pay your taxes and you get access to services like emergency room healthcare. That expectation is not being met,” Kruger said.

He says it feels like the province is not listening to their needs.

“That puts pressure on other hospitals. We have 110,000 people in Delta, and when our Delta hospital is closed, that means more lineups and longer wait times at Surrey Memorial, at Peace Arch, and at Richmond General Hospital.”

Fraser Health says that emergency-trained nurses will remain on site during the interruption to help walk-in patients with basic care and to help redirect or transfer patients to neighbouring hospitals.

Last August, the health authority announced another closure just one hour before it was set to begin.

All other Fraser Health Emergency Departments will remain open. However, Fraser Health acknowledges that the closure may result in longer wait times for non-urgent care at other emergency rooms in the region.

With files from David Nadalini.