HALIFAX 鈥� A Nova Scotia mayor says a patient died last week in his Annapolis Valley town after going into cardiac arrest at a hospital where no doctor was present.
Mayor Sylvester Atkinson of Middleton, N.S., says volunteer firefighters were called to the Soldiers Memorial Hospital to attend to a patient because the closest doctor was 30 minutes away.聽
Atkinson made the comments in a letter to Premier Tim Houston that was published Tuesday on social media. The letter says the fire department was called to the hospital around 9 p.m. on June 15.
鈥淥ur fire department was informed there was no doctor on site, nor was there one on call,鈥� he wrote, adding that a doctor was en route to the hospital.
The fire department and paramedics 鈥減rovided life-saving measures鈥� until the doctor arrived, but 鈥渦nfortunately, the patient did not survive,鈥� the mayor wrote. 鈥淭he doctor called time of death when they arrived on the scene.鈥�
Annapolis MLA Carman Kerr said the emergency room closures at Soldiers Memorial have been an issue for the last two years. He issued a statement calling the situation "our worst fear."
"The community has been pressing for action for far too long with no tangible results," he said.
Health Minister Michelle Thompson told reporters Wednesday in Halifax that she couldn't comment directly on the case because of privacy concerns. She said her heart goes out to the patient鈥檚 family, who are 鈥済rieving very publicly鈥� after the letter was posted online.
Thompson said that in rural communities, the nearest doctor is sometimes up to half an hour away, adding that the province was recruiting more health-care workers, including rural doctors.
鈥淲e know that there is a shortage of physicians,鈥� she said, 鈥渨e certainly are working very, very hard across all communities in Nova Scotia to recruit,鈥� though she noted there was a 鈥渘ational and global shortage鈥� of doctors.
In an email, Nova Scotia Health spokesperson Brendan Elliot said proper protocol was followed at the hospital and that 鈥渟taff performed admirably.鈥�
He said there is always a doctor on call for in-patient care at Soldiers Memorial Hospital. The physician, he added, can 鈥渆ither be on site or nearby鈥� and can provide consultation remotely or in person.
鈥淲hen additional immediate assistance is required, and a physician is in transit, protocols include calling 911,鈥� he said via email. 鈥淭he 911 operator will determine next steps and can dispatch first responders, based on the unique circumstances of the call.鈥�
On Wednesday, Thompson unveiled at the Halifax Infirmary a 鈥渃are-co-ordination centre,鈥� a centralized data hub that provides real-time information on wait lists, bed availability, ambulance off-loads and patient transfers, as well as the status of diagnostic tests and procedures.
The $26.4-million system was piloted at the Halifax Infirmary but is slated to be rolled out provincewide over the next two years in an effort to move patients through the system more efficiently and free up valuable hospital beds, she told reporters.
The 2022 deaths of 37-year-old Allison Holthoff and 67-year-old Charlene Snow, who both waited hours to receive emergency care, prompted the province to implement changes in the health-care system, including doctor-led triage teams and extra physician assistants in emergency rooms.
A letter signed by 39 doctors earlier this year said the changes wouldn't address the root problem: a lack of bed space for ER patients, leading to overcrowding and hours-long waits for care.
When asked what a care-co-ordination centre could do in a situation where a hospital has no doctor, Thompson said the centre would allow health-care workers to 鈥渟ee where capacity is鈥� in the system and transfer patients if necessary.
Karen Oldfield, interim president and CEO of Nova Scotia Health, said the province aims to hire 250 full-time health-care workers, including physiotherapists, dietitians, pharmacists, and occupational therapists, in an effort to increase hospital care on evenings and weekends.
鈥淲hen receiving more timely care, seven days a week, patients will have a shorter length of stay,鈥� Oldfield told reporters, meaning 鈥減atients can return home sooner.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2023.
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
Marlo Glass, The Canadian Press
