a

Mine

People vent their frustration
over the state of health care

By ALEX HAMILTON
STORIES OF problems
with health care came
spilling out Saturday as
nearly 150 gathered to ex-
press their frustration at
what they feel is a system
that is falling apart.

And those present at the
Elks Hall’ also took out
their frustration with Skee-
na NDP-MLA Helmut
Giesbrecht who held a
closed --meeting~ earlier
with those who ‘organized
the session,

The frustration took the
form of. criticizing Mills
Memorial Hospital admis-
sion: restrictions and the
shorlage of nurses.

The hospital has restric-

ted hospital. admissions.

since June because there
aren't enough nurses ayail-

able to. lake. care of pa-:

tients. - So
“Our medical system is

really: going downhill,”

said Terrace resident Kae-
Jeen Foote, who was ap-
palled with the medical
altention her seven-year-
old son received at Mills
Memorial this summer,

' - Poote said she’s disgus-

ted with the hospital after

_,her doctor refused to admit

her son after he fell 15 feet
off a houschold roof. Her
son was rushed to the hos-
pital for tests and X-rays of
his jaw,

~~ However, doctors were
unabie to complete the
tests because her son was

in too much pain.

Foote said doctors wan-

_ ted to admit her son over-

night for observation, but
since his injury wasn’t life
threatening, there wouldn’t
be a bed available for him.

So Foote’s son was
taken to Kitimat at 11:30
p.m., where there was a
bed available for the even-
ing.

The next morning,
Foote said, she and her
son had to return to Ter-
race to complete ‘the tests
and X-rays,

Once. the tests were
complete, doctors realized
her son had broken both
sides of his jaw and suf-
fered a slight skull frac-
ture.

He was immediately
flown to Vancouver where
he received the attention
he deserved, she said.

“The point is my child
was put at risk sent to Ki-
timat and back,” she said.
“He should have been as-
sessed here.”

“If your child becomes
ill or is seriously injured,
and he can’! be helped at
this hospital, then there’s
something clearly wrong
with this.”

Other residents at the
meeting said they wanted
the provincial government
to increase the hospital’s
budget,

Many were upset that

MLA. Helmut Giesbrecht -

refused to attend the pub-
lic gathering, preferring to
meet privately with Don
Ritchey, Ida Mohler, Bill
McRae and Mayor Jack
Taistra, who helped orga-
nize the meeting.

“This is an exercise in
futility if our MLA isn’l
here,” said Erle Crawford.
“We're all sitting waiting
for someone to talk to-us
and do something.”

Reporting back from his
mecting with Giesbrecht,
Ritchey said the MLA
blamed the doctors for
Mills’ budget problems.

In the past, doctors

have been accused of ©

keeping patients in the
hospital for foo long and
increasing referrals to
boost their income.

Ritchey said Giesbrech
said Mills would sland a
better chance of receiving
money for some regional
services, such as the in-
tensive care unit, if the
eight other communily
health councils in the re-
gion agree.

According to Dr. Mi-
chael Kenyon, who spoke
at the meeting, only Kiti-
mat and Prince Rupert
health councils are against
Mills becoming a regional
hospital.

A consulting firm from
Alberta has been hired to
recommend what kind of

tepional services are nee-
ded in the northwest, It’s
report is expected fo ass-
ess whether Mills should
become a regional hospi-
tal. Findings should be
compicte by June 2000.
Kenyon spoke out at the

“meeting saying doctors are

offering a solution. to
Mills’ budget problems by
refusing admissions of out
of town patients as of Dec.
I. : _

He said it may even be
better for aut of town’ pa-
lients to be turned away
from Mills because it has
become unsafe to look
after them at the hospital.

“Terrace has two nurses
on night shift with 30
beds,” Kenyon said.
“These inefficiencies
come very close to inhu-
manity.”

Dr, Jim Dunfield, who
resigned from his chief of

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staff position at Mills over
budget cuts, said moral al
the hospital is at an all
time low because nurses
are overworked.

Yet, the ministry conti-
nues to criticize the hospi-
tal for being inefficient.

“We think we're as ef-
ficient’ as we7re> gona’
get,” Dunfield. said. “You
can only scrape so much.”

Kenyon added that doc-
tors are putting their medi-

cal reputations at risk, ~ |:
while administrators aren't. |:

risking anything. He said
il’s time the health mini-
siry acknowledged Mills

ag a regional centre.

Kenyon explained that
Kitimat hospital routinely
closes its surgery and ob-
Stetrics during Christmas.

“But we're not going to
cover them anymore,” Ke-
nyon said. “We're going to
make them bite the

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bullet.”
Mayor Jack Talstra

- urged everyone al the

meeting to write Ietters to
Helmut Giesbrecht with
specific examples of how
the hospital has deteriora-
ted.

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, November 17, 1999 -A13

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