The Campbell River Hospital Lab lab was closed again on March 18.
There was a sign saying due to a critical shortage of staff the lab is closed to walk-ins. A large gate was pulled across the entire waiting and check-in area for the lab. How often is it closed?
This lack of staff and the destruction of our lab is entirely created by Island Health and the Ministry of Health. It began in 2019 when Island Health bestowed a contract to the Vancouver Island Clinical Consultants Corporation (VICPCC), a private for profit corporation working in a public lab. Then many services were taken from our Campbell River Lab. The only people this benefitted was VICPCC.
Our Citizens for Quality Health Care group worked very hard along with the Campbell River doctors led by Dr. Aref Tabarsi to get this hospital which Island Health had planned to reduce to a triage centre. We also actively advocated for and successfully achieved free parking. We did not volunteer to put in all those years of effort to have our lab destroyed. It is not possible to have any acute care hospital without a fully functioning lab! Any reduction in lab services has a domino effect on other services which obviously negatively affects patients. Island Health promised we would have all the services we had in the old hospital then broke their promises.
Some demoralized staff left due to an toxic environment and demoralized staff. In addition to removing several services they started having all outpatient work couriered to the Comox Valley Hospital, leaving only inpatient lab work here. Our lab has 13 vacant positions but Island Health has made no effort to staff it other than advertising for very few positions. Why? They now have only 3 technologists and are forcing lab technologist assistants to do some of the technologist duties for which they were not trained. The technologists and technologist assistants have done an incredibly awesome job of valiantly trying to keep this lab afloat but it is not possible with only 3. Is the lab’s destruction now past the point of repair? Was this the plan of Island Health all along while they have been focussing on putting all the resources elsewhere?
Dr. Tabarsi warned them several times that their plan was not sustainable in the long term and we have as well with a Town Hall meeting, petitions, presentations and letters on numerous occasions for the past 5 years. Thanks to Island Health Dr. Tabarsi (an exemplary and highly respected pathologist) is no longer here. All our valid concerns fell on deaf ears and were ignored not only by Island Health and the Ministry of Health but also by our City Council, MLA, and the CS Regional Hospital Board (except for former Directors Jim Abram and Brenda Leigh who really tried to prevent the continual decline. The new Board Chair, Doug Hillian, does welcome communication from us and all constituents.
Our hospital has been operating at 150% capacity every day. 80% capacity is recommended. It was another huge mistake to plan our new hospital with too few beds for an ever growing population.
We have been asking for an external independent investigation for 5 years which Island Health does not want. An investigation is clearly warranted on behalf of the 54,000 North Island patients/taxpayers/ constituents our Campbell River hospital serves. An investigation into the contract between Island Health and the Vancouver Island Clinical Consultants Corporation and the management of our Campbell River Hospital lab needs to be done now if any trust or faith in Island Health and our Ministry of Health is ever to be restored. Patients in the North Island need and deserve the optimal health care we used to have.
Lois Jarvis, Richard Hagensen and Joanne Banks on behalf of Citizens for Quality Health Care