Shortages of nurses now a crisis
Dec 8, 2015 | 6:55 AM
VANCOUVER — Surgeries are being cancelled at an alarming rate, and it’s only a matter of time before it leads to someone dying.
That’s the opinion of the head of the B.C. Nurses’ Union. Gayle Duteil says there are a thousand vacancies for nurses across B.C. in both operating rooms and emergency departments. Guteil says it’s becoming a major crisis.
Statistics show over 300 surgeries have been cancelled at Vancouver General Hospital alone over the past six months because there just aren’t enough operating-room nurses to go around.
Duteil says while providing overtime pay for nurses helps, it only goes so far.
