Concern, anger, promises and hope greet P.E.I. doctors' open letter on Prince County Hospital

Two years ago, Alison Millard resigned from her permanent position at Prince County Hospital because she felt she was "suffocated and drowning" in P.E.I.'s health-care system. 

Millard had worked as a critical-care nurse at the Summerside hospital for over a decade, but the constant staff shortages finally became too exhausting for her and her family.

Along with many health workers still at the hospital, she says PCH is now facing a crisis that could have serious impacts on the care all Islanders receive — not just those in central and western P.E.I. 

"It's frustrating, it's devastating, it's heartbreaking," Millard told CBC News. "You invest your blood, sweat and tears into this place and to just have zero control and watching it crumble from a distance — it's awful and it's terrifying.

"I live here; these are my services too. What happens if something happens to one of my family members?" 

On Friday, 42 doctors with the East Prince Medical Staff Association took the unprecedented step of writing an open letter that said Prince County Hospital is facing an emergency that requires swift and drastic action from both the provincial government and Health P.E.I. 

In the letter, the doctors say severe human resource gaps are causing an "ongoing crisis" at the Island's second largest hospital. 

Earlier this week, Health P.E.I. announced that the PCH would begin accepting fewer critical-care patients due to a lack of staff in the progressive-care unit starting in late January.

The progressive-care unit opened last spring as a replacement for the hospital's intensive-care unit, which was closed due to a shortage of internal medicine specialists. Patients who require intensive care are currently being transferred to Charlottetown's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the province's largest facility.

The doctors wrote in the letter that centralizing all critical-care services at the QEH will pose a challenge that "invites poor patient outcomes." 

Millard said that kind of prospect used to keep her awake at night with worry. 

"The challenge of transporting patients to QEH for other services — it's not as simple as just whipping a patient in the back of an ambulance and driving down. It takes the stabilization of a patient, which can take a team of people," she said.

"Having all the stars align became so much of a challenge. It was frustrating when all you want to do is to look after the patient in the bed. The system is just not conducive to that."

On Friday afternoon, P.E.I. Health Minister Mark McLane told CBC News his department is working with Health P.E.I. to ensure both of the province's largest hospitals can operate as best they can in the circumstances.