FORT ST. JOHN -- Emergency Departments in Fort St. John and Chetwynd have reopened following long weekend diversions that saw services unavailable due to shortage of doctors.
The ER in Fort St. John closed at 4:00 p.m. Friday August 2nd, 2024, and reopened Saturday August 3rd at 5:00 a.m.
Then on Monday, services were interrupted from 6:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. this morning.
"It is unbelievable that this new pattern has formed and now people are saying, well, this is the norm-- this is not the normal," said MLA Dan Davies in an interview with CJDC-TV.
In Chetwynd, the ER closed Saturday evening, reopened at 8:00 a.m Sunday, and closed again that same evening at 6:00 p.m. with services resuming Monday morning.
Northern Health cited challenges with physician coverage for both closures.
It comes on the heels of an announcement by Health Minister Adrian Dix that recommendations including a new funding model for rural doctors will be implemented, and that the region will see five new doctors by the fall.
“It’s too little, too late-- we have been we've been struggling now for five years in the north for appropriate medical attention,” said Davies, noting the timing of the announcement comes during an upcoming provincial election.
Davies adds another rally is in the early stages of planning to show a united front with Chiefs of local First Nations, who are also demanding more be done to address healthcare challenges.
