The latest closures of the emergency department at Cariboo Memorial Hospital have triggered a letter from city council asking Interior Health for an operational review.
As MLA Lorne Doerkson pointed out, we’ve been talking about shortcomings at CMH for years. Suggestions have been made but the Health authority “has not made a path to move any of the proposed changes forward.“
Along with identifying population health needs and planning appropriate programs and services, IHA’s job is to ensure programs and services are properly funded and managed, and meet performance objectives.
Twenty years ago city council had concerns about IHA’s operation. A presentation to council, dated Feb.18, 2003, has 18 recommendations for the authority. It followed a forum attended by 75 local residents and members of Interior Health.
One recommendation was to strike a community/regional Health Ad-hoc Committee to represent our area. Another was to ask IHA to improve its public communications program to better inform Williams Lake and area residents about services and programs. Some recommendations were followed, some are still waiting.
Fast forward to April, 2022, when CMH’s senior surgeon, Dr. Dan Brossuek resigned after 27 years of service here.
He said he believed “changes in the function of the operating room” eroded the surgical team’s ability to provide top service.
As Mr. Doerkson said, there have been complaints for years, but enough is enough. Could council arrange a public meeting with Interior Heath authorities so residents could ask questions and give suggestions?
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I’d been wondering if the U.S. election scene could get any uglier, but I thought President Biden would be the victim of any violence. Silly me. Fortunately ex-President Trump wasn’t badly hurt by his would-be-assassinator, but can he use being the victim to his advantage?
