SURREY: It was a week of uncertainty and anxiety for many would be mothers who were planning to deliver their babies at the Peace Arch Maternity Unit. Fraser Health had announced its decision to temporarily shut down the hospital’s maternity unity due to lack of staff.
However, on Thursday Fraser Health reversed the decision and announced to keep the maternity unit open. In a media conference, Dr. Victoria Lee, president and CEO, Fraser Health, said that “expectant individuals who have pre-existing plans to deliver their babies at the hospital will be able to see those plans through with only sporadic single-day diversions and only when necessary.”
Although the health authority explained that the decision came because of the “new scheduling commitments from the pediatric group at Peace Arch Hospital and commitments from other provider partners,” the significant role of community, leaders and health staff that raised strong voice against the closure, cannot be denied.
Dr. Semion Strovski, head of the Peace Arch maternity clinic, was amongst the first to raise concerns about the closure. In his interviews to various media outlets, he said that he was “disappointed” as proposals to improve pediatric services, retention and recruitment were made 3 years ago.
Fraser Health explaining its decision to temporarily close the maternity unit stated, “Recruiting pediatricians to work in smaller hospitals, particularly those such as Peace Arch Hospital that do not have pediatric units, can be a challenge since some pediatricians prefer to work in larger acute settings.”
In response to a gap in pediatrician availability due to an unexpected leave at Peace Arch Hospital, Fraser Health then asked expectant individuals to attend Langley Memorial Hospital for their deliveries. “When we are unable to fill gaps in physician availability or other non-medical staff, we reluctantly implement temporary diversions to ensure the safety of our patients,” the health authority explained.
Criticism and outrage poured in from would be mothers and residents of the White Rock community who rallied outside the hospital, against the decision.
Surrey’s Mayor Doug MacCallum, issued a strong statement and reassured the residents of Surrey “to count on the full weight of the City of Surrey to help solve Peach Arch Hospital’s maternity ward closure issue.”
Reacting to the overwhelming response by the community, Surrey Mayor said that as the second largest city in BC and growing by more than 1000 residents each month, the demand for local and accessible healthcare was a top priority for the more than 600,000 people who reside in Surrey.
He called the outrage “justifiable because according to him “the money raised by the hospital foundation specifically for the maternity unit has been all for naught.”
“As a former Chair of Peace Arch Hospital, I would strongly urge Fraser Health and the Ministry of Health to rescind their decision. I want to assure them that they can count on the full weight of the City of Surrey to help solve this problem. The Peace Arch Hospital maternity unit is a critical component of health care for the community and it should stay that way for now and the future,” the Mayor said.
The health authority finally reverted the decision and came out with “significant new scheduling commitments from the pediatric group” to keep the maternity unit up and running. It said, “The maternity unit at Peace Arch Hospital is fully funded and will remain fully funded. As well, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, we have been able to implement an alternative payment model to support pediatric recruitment. We have also expanded our services to support a Pediatric Rapid Access Clinic at Peace Arch Hospital. These actions underscore and reaffirm our commitment to maternity and pediatric services at Peace Arch Hospital. Recruitment is a challenge, and for this reason is a priority, and we will provide regular updates on progress. All partners are committed to working towards safe maternity services at Peace Arch Hospital with no disruption while Fraser Health continues its recruitment efforts. We acknowledge all of our partners for their continued support for maternity and pediatric services at Peace Arch Hospital.”
Mayor McCallum said, “There is no question that the decision to keep the maternity unit open is the right one. I want to thank the residents, doctors and nurses for banding together to voice their concerns. I also would like to thank Health Minister Adrian Dix and Fraser Health CEO Dr. Victoria Lee for their efforts in finding a solution to keep this valuable community health resource open.”
