For the second time in three months, the emergency department at Cariboo Memorial Hospital closed overnight due to limited nursing availability.
Interior Health (IH) issued the notice at 6 p.m. Monday, stating “emergency services will be unavailable effective 6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 29, 2024 until 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.”
Patients were directed by IH to access care at 100 Mile District General Hospital in 100 Mile House or GR Baker Memorial Hospital in Quesnel, each an hour’s drive from the lakecity, during the closure.
All other inpatient services continued as normal at CMH, said IH.
People in the community who needed life-threatening emergency care were reminded to always call 9-1-1 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility.
The emergency department in Cariboo Memorial Hospital is normally open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In recent weeks, however, those trying to access emergency services at CMA have been told they would only be able to see a doctor if they were dying.
Concerns over the quality of patient care have also been aired recently.
IH management has told the Tribune they have both short and long-term plans to address staffing shortage. They also appeared as a delegation at Williams Lake city council to give an update on the hospital operations well as the hospital upgrade currently underway.