Urgent plea for doctors at Vancouver General Hospital amid 'critical staffing shortages'
CTV
Internal documents obtained by CTV News Vancouver paint a portrait of dire circumstances for one of B.C.'s busiest hospitals, as health-care workers say other facilities are just as strained.
Internal documents obtained by CTV News Vancouver paint a portrait of dire circumstances for one of B.C.'s busiest hospitals, as health-care workers say other facilities are just as strained.
A memo compiled by Health Emergency Management BC (HEMBC) titled “EOC: Situation Report” describes Vancouver General Hospital as facing “critical staffing shortages due to staff becoming ill through community exposure” to the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Dated Wednesday, the memo goes on to say that the facility had a “noticeable increase in COVID presentations in the last 48 hours” and was operating over 100 per cent capacity. It also warns physician staffing for COVID-19 “is tenuous.”
The hospital is developing a daily dashboard to monitor shortages in nurses and allied workers, according to the document.
It noted that there were only three physicians scheduled to work the VGH COVID ward for next week, when eight or nine are needed. None were slated for the following week.
Late Friday morning, some 2,000 doctors classified as “Vancouver Acute Physicians” received an urgent bulletin on behalf of the senior medical staff at the hospital, pleading with them to sign up for shifts.
