7 pediatricians resigned from Kelowna General Hospital in 1 year

Pediatricians who live and work in Kelowna have spoken out on the ongoing closure of the general pediatric unit at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH).

“We are devastated by the unprecedented closure of the pediatric service at KGH, but have been sounding the alarm about this impending crisis for years,” they said through a statement released by Doctors of BC.

Only a small number of these local pediatricians still work at the hospital. There are reportedly 20 living and working in Kelowna, but only four of them, as well as a single newborn specialist, work at KGH.

The statement says there should be 12, at baseline, which means the currently understaffed team is working around the clock to keep the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit open.

There’s been an exodus of pediatricians from KGH in recent years, most notably in 2023 when seven of them resigned.

“More than half of these pediatricians signaled to Interior Health (IH) administration that their decision was impacted by the longstanding lack of resources and difficult work environment," they say.

“For many years, pediatricians have pleaded with the leadership at KGH and IH to address the severe shortage of pediatric resources.”

The result is pediatricians often working alone and covering care for many sick kids across multiple areas of the hospital simultaneously.

“This could include the children’s ward, children in the ER, labour and delivery, neonatal intensive care and children in the adult ICU – all at the same time,” the statement explains. “This is not manageable or safe for one pediatrician to do.”

They say that Kelowna needs a “new model of care” for pediatric intensive care, neonatal care, pediatric subspecialty and surgical services.

“We foresaw this shutdown and tried to prevent it,” the local pediatricians say. “Now we need action and change. We need the Minister of Health, along with IH, to act immediately to address this.”

“We need the public’s help. Please, raise your voice and tell your MLA and IH that your children deserve better. Post your stories on social media and show healthcare leadership that this matters to you.”

Last week, IH CEO Susan Brown told NowMedia that an open dialogue between the health authority and community pediatricians is ongoing.

Brown said work is being done to address their concerns and learn what might entice them back to work at KGH.

“We’re really looking at what the plan is going forward now and what resources the physicians require,” she noted.

According to Brown, a plan for pediatrics was submitted to the Ministry of Health on Thursday, June 5, designed to meet the needs of healthcare professionals and the region’s rapidly growing population.

She recognized concerns about the culture at KGH that have been brought forward by healthcare workers and said it’s critical that changes.

It’s something that will be essential to not just retain physicians and nurses currently working at KGH, but also to keep new doctors set to join the hospital over the coming months.

“Retention is critical for all our staff,” Brown stated. “Even though we’re getting these new physicians, we have to make sure it’s a great landing spot for them and they’ll be keen to stay.”

However, Brown admitted that it’s too early to say whether the general pediatric unit closure will end in early July or stretch beyond six weeks.