By Lyonel Doherty
“Rhetoric.”
That’s what Oliver Town Councillor Maureen Doerr calls a recent letter from Interior Health (IH).
Doerr commented on a letter from Chris Mazurkewich, president and chief executive officer of IH, who responded to a letter of concern by the Town regarding the state of South Okanagan General Hospital (SOGH).
The Town questioned Interior Health about the hospital’s future, particularly staffing of the acute care ward and emergency room.
Mazurkewich said IH regularly updates hospital acute care bed plans to reflect changes in utilization and projections.
“We set a target of 95 per cent occupancy of our 18 funded acute care beds at SOGH. This is consistent with similar IH hospitals,” he said.
He noted the 95 per cent target allows SOGH to manage fluctuations that occur over the course of a year – for example, an increase in summer population and winter influenza impacts.
Mazurkewich said SOGH had an occupancy rate of approximately 93 per cent for the last fiscal year based on its 18 funded beds.
“This is lower than previous years, and a testament to the positive work occurring to keep people healthy and independent, avoiding unnecessary hospitalization.”
He said hospital and physician leadership continue to discuss how to most effectively use any beds in a fiscally responsible manner in light of historical occupancy rates, as well as projections for the future. Mazurkewich clarified that IH is responsible for hiring clinical and non-clinical staff, but not physicians.
“Physicians in British Columbia are independent practitioners paid primarily by the Ministry of Health, not IH,” he said.
Mazurkewich said physicians can apply to provide services in IH hospitals, including SOGH, through a health authority privileging process.
“We work closely with physicians in the community to have them provide services in our hospitals . . . but ultimately it is up to the physicians themselves to determine if they wish to provide services in our hospitals.”
Mazurkewich said nine of the 18 physicians currently with privileges to provide services at SOGH have chosen to provide service in the emergency department.
He pointed out they anticipate a further six physicians will locate to the South Okanagan by the fall with some providing service to SOGH, including the emergency department.
“These additional physicians should further stabilize the physician resources required to provide consistent coverage for emergency services.”
Mazurkewich said IH reviews nurse staffing levels on a regular basis.
“In the past two years, IH added four new registered nurse positions to SOGH and other staff were added to reduce the number of non-nursing tasks undertaken by registered nurses.”
Doerr said the letter represented the same rhetoric that the Town has heard before. “They’re not telling us anything new to alleviate our fears.”
Councillor Jack Bennest said it’s clear that doctors make their own choices whether they work in the hospital or not.
Late last week Interior Health announced that the SOGH emergency department would temporarily close on June 4-5 due to lack of physician coverage. However, closure was averted at the last minute after doctors stepped up.
Mayor Ron Hovanes commented that, prior to the May 9 provincial election, there was a real effort to ensure the emergency room didn’t close.
Doctor Peter Entwistle, former chief of staff at SOGH, raised a similar concern, saying it was definitely an election issue.
But Carl Meadows, spokesperson for Interior Health, said he didn’t see any correlation between the emergency department and the election. He noted that every effort is made to ensure the emergency department is adequately staffed.
