Emergency room closures at rural hospitals throughout British Columbia are happening far too frequently.
In Oliver, the South Okanagan General Hospital香蕉视频直播檚 emergency room has had numerous overnight closures in July, following a pattern that has been happening for years.
The South Similkameen Health Centre in Keremeos has also had temporary closures of its emergency department.
Similar stories have been playing out elsewhere.
The Lillooet Hospital and Health Centre has had multiple temporary closures. The Chetwynd General Hospital, the Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre in Burns Lake, the Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital in Clearwater, the Nicola Valley Hospital in Merritt and others have also had repeated closures.
In these communities, especially those far from major centres, a hospital closure is a serious matter. When emergency care is needed, every moment counts.
Transporting someone from Keremeos or Oliver to Penticton 香蕉视频直播� the next medical facility 香蕉视频直播� involves a trip of around 40 minutes. This delays the time for a patient to receive necessary care.
From Merritt to the Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, the trip is closer to an hour, and if someone in Lillooet needs to be transported to hospital in Kamloops, the drive time is around two hours. In northern communities, the distance from one hospital to the next can be significant, and if road conditions are poor because of rough winter weather, the time delay becomes even longer.
There are efforts to examine the causes of the problem of hospital closures and there are efforts to recruit medical staff to rural and isolated communities. Such efforts are needed.
However, identifying causes is not enough. Without implementing strategies for change, temporary emergency closures will continue to happen.
These closures must not be treated as annoyances. They are much more serious.
When medical emergencies happen, those affected need treatment as soon as possible.
香蕉视频直播� Black Press
