EMERGENCY ROOM CLOSURES PUT PATIENTS AT RISK
KAMLOOPS— The closures of the Logan Lake and Chase emergency departments over the holiday season will put area residents at risk, says New Democrat health critic Mike Farnworth.
The closures are due to doctor shortages over the holidays and will affect thousands of residents and commuters in the area. In Logan Lake the emergency department will be closed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 3; in Chase from Dec. 23 to Jan. 3.
“The Liberal government is failing communities by allowing these emergency room closures to happen,” said Farnworth. “These disruptions in care mean there is something wrong with the system.”
Farnworth is concerned that winter driving conditions will add to the risks faced by patients in need of emergency treatment. Travelling to other emergency rooms means facing a long drive on icy roads.
“Anyone who has ever driven on these highways knows that adding kilometers to an emergency call will put patients at risk,” said Farnworth. “The Liberal government’s lack of commitment to rural health care in B.C. has created this mess.
“We need to be addressing the number of physicians that we have serving rural B.C. and working with health professionals to look at ways in which we can recruit and keep them in these communities.”
Adrian Dix and the New Democrats believe in a strong public health care system that meets the needs of all British Columbians.
The closures are due to doctor shortages over the holidays and will affect thousands of residents and commuters in the area. In Logan Lake the emergency department will be closed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 3; in Chase from Dec. 23 to Jan. 3.
“The Liberal government is failing communities by allowing these emergency room closures to happen,” said Farnworth. “These disruptions in care mean there is something wrong with the system.”
Farnworth is concerned that winter driving conditions will add to the risks faced by patients in need of emergency treatment. Travelling to other emergency rooms means facing a long drive on icy roads.
“Anyone who has ever driven on these highways knows that adding kilometers to an emergency call will put patients at risk,” said Farnworth. “The Liberal government’s lack of commitment to rural health care in B.C. has created this mess.
“We need to be addressing the number of physicians that we have serving rural B.C. and working with health professionals to look at ways in which we can recruit and keep them in these communities.”
Adrian Dix and the New Democrats believe in a strong public health care system that meets the needs of all British Columbians.
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