Surgeries put on hold at RIH, doctors point to staffing ‘crisis’

“We don’t have the staffing, the resources, nor the capacity to continue on with elective surgeries,” Dr. Hughes told CFJC News.

One in four Kamloops patients have to go out of town to have surgeries because of the hospital’s capacity issues. Even with this new patient care tower, the doctors say access is unlikely to improve.

CFJC News asked Interior Health to comment on the situation but they were unable to respond by deadline.

With one new operating room, RIH surgeon Dr. Sean Gorman says the new tower won’t make a difference in elective surgeries.

“We’re going to bring up to a standard of care in terms of our rooms and patient experience, but there is going to be no significant increase in the capacity of the hospital on opening the new tower,” added Gorman.

The hospital is still able to care for trauma patients and perform cancer operations, but he says the other patients continue to suffer.

“You ask Mrs. Smith who needs a hip replacement how her quality of life is effected and what this is going to do being canceled and it’s life changing for them,” Dr.Hughes explained.

Hughes worries about the future of Royal Inland Hospital, with nurses leaving and now some doctors thinking of walking away, too.

“For our community, for the group in that building; we want to retain all of the good doctors we have, all the good nurses we have, all the good allied professionals we have,” Dr. Hughes said.

by Amandalina Letterio

Surgeries put on hold at RIH, doctors point to staffing ‘crisis’

This Week in Flyers

This Week in Flyers

Our Community