Resignation fans fears for future of SOGH
By ROY WOOD
The resignation of South Okanagan General Hospital (SOGH) chief of staff Dr. Peter Entwistle is raising worry on town council that the days of the acute care facility in Oliver may be numbered.
Council will send a letter of protest as two members voiced their fears that reductions in the number of beds at the facility could be part of a longer-term plan to get rid of acute care in the Oliver-Osoyoos region.
Entwistle told council Monday he has resigned because of concerns over the quality of patient care at the hospital in two specific areas: staffing the emergency room (ER); and the province’s decision to reduce the number of beds by 25 per cent.
He said, “Covering the emergency room (with physicians) is an ongoing pressure” and has taken its toll on him and his family practice. As chief of staff it is his responsibility and, when no other physician could be found, he often has found himself personally covering extra shifts, particularly overnight shifts.
The ER situation is tolerable at least in the short term, as three physicians have been hired to work in emergency. But doctor shortages in the ER are a chronic problem at SOGH. Last spring the department had to curtail overnight service for more than a month because there simply weren’t enough doctors available.
The greater issue around patient care concerns the province’s decision to cut the number of beds at the hospital by 25 per cent, from 24 to 18.
Entwistle said the move will have a serious impact on patient care and is going ahead despite his “strong objections.”
Having fewer beds available means that more admitted patients will end up staying in the ER rather than being moved onto the wards. He said studies have shown a detrimental effect on patients who are kept in the ER, including one that indicated one in 50 such patients will die who otherwise wouldn’t have.
Entwistle indicated he will take his concerns about the hospital into the political arena. Funding health care is a provincial responsibility, he said, “(and) there is an election going on right now. It’s a good time to ask for answers. … My intention is to speak out during the electoral process.”
Councillor Larry Schwartzenberger asked if the move to reduce the number of beds at the Oliver hospital could be “the thin edge of the wedge” as more patients are sent to Penticton.
Councillor Jack Bennest agreed, saying, “This is just a step toward moving patients to Penticton and (making) the SOGH a geriatric facility. … The emergency room is important to the South Okanagan. … We have to stand up.”
Council voted to send a letter to Interior Health, which has management responsibility for the SOGH, noting the resignation of Entwistle and emphasizing the importance of the hospital to the region.
Osoyoos council will be also asked to sign the letter, as will the Osoyoos Indian Band and the regional district.