A Kelowna father is speaking out about the pediatrician shortage at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) after what he says was a terrifying situation over the weekend.
His son Roman, who was born a month early, fell quite ill on Saturday night.
The nine-day-old baby’s breathing became laboured so he was taken to the emergency department.
“At one point they were basically preparing us that he was going to need to be intubated and resuscitated,” Stringer said.
The young patient was soon placed in the ER’s trauma room.
At one point Stringer says there were 17 medical staff in the room.
“When the staff start rushing around like that, we were absolutely terrified,” Stringer told Global News. ” Both my wife and I thought there was a very real chance we could be losing him that night.”
Stringer and his wife were shocked to learn there was no pediatrician on call for the hospital that night.
As their newborn’s condition worsened, they were told they may have to be taken to B.C. Children’s Hospital by air ambulance.
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“They were on calls with B.C. Children’s Hospital pediatrician to get medication levels right, as well as a treatment plan in place,” Stringer said.
In September, Kelowna’s Emergency Department Physician Group issued a public advisory warning of service disruptions at KGH related to pediatric care in the emergency department.
Since then, numerous shifts have gone unfilled.
When asked to comment on the concerning situation, B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne said it’s best for Interior Health to address the issue.
In a statement to Global News IH said, “When service interruptions do occur, we have contingency plans in place from the network of hospitals and medical staff within IH and across the province to support the most appropriate care.”
“Currently there are six physicians in the KGH pediatricians’ group. An additional two pediatricians are expected to join in early 2025,” the health authority added.
IH also said, “We continue to recruit nationally and internationally to attract permanent, full-time medical staff.”
As for Roman, it turns out he was suffering from a viral infection and is expected to make a full recovery.
“He’s doing a lot better and doing great in the NICU,” said Stringer.
But his parents hope the incident highlights the urgency to address the pediatrician shortage once and for all.
“I hope that this is what it takes to say, ‘OK we really need to get this fixed ASAP,’” Stringer said. “Hopefully we don’t have a fatal case. That would be absolutely terrible.”
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Newborn’s illness highlights pediatrician shortage in Kelowna
