Health Minister discusses emergency room closures across Northern B.C.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – Minister of Health Adrian Dix discussed emergency room closures throughout Northern B.C. during a media briefing held on Zoom in the afternoon of July 29th. 

During the briefing, Dix discussed the province’s current efforts to recruit new healthcare workers, especially for Northern communities.

The health minister spoke briefly about the complexity of healthcare diversions, and explained that there is no singular solution. 

“The issues in Fort St. John are actually different from the issues in Dawson Creek, and different from the issues in Chetwynd, and different from the issues in Fort Nelson.” 

Dix emphasized that the department has been favouring Fort St. John for new doctors, with four of the five new doctors Fort St. John is anticipated to get in September being ‘return of service’ positions.’

A return of service is an incentive position through the provincial government. It allows for the government to direct doctors to specific locations, such as the city of Fort St. John. 

“As a ministry and as a government, we’ve chosen Fort St. John to address issues there because we see the need for that,” Dix stated. 

When asked about a list of possible closures of the Fort St. John Emergency Department throughout August, the minister explained that the department was ‘working hard to fill all known service interruptions’.

“At the beginning of the month, we see the openings, and then we work to fill them, and overwhelmingly we do,” Dix said.  

According to Dix, Fort St. John currently has 28 doctors, a quantity he referred to as ‘significant for a community of that size,’ and stated that several of the new doctors will be covering shifts at the Emergency department starting in September.