Rally held for North Island health care
CTV
North Island residents gathered in Port McNeill Saturday morning to show their support for health-care workers and voice their frustration with the provincial government's response to staff shortages in the region.
North Island residents gathered in Port McNeill Saturday morning to show their support for health-care workers and voice their frustration with the provincial government's response to staff shortages in the region.
Organizers of the rally at North Island Secondary School say there are only four emergency doctors on rotation in the region, and these doctors have limited tools with which to do their jobs.
People are worried that the difficult conditions will lead more doctors to burn out, leading to even more issues.
"In the past few years, the availability of health care in this region seems to have deteriorated," said rally organizer Fran Jenkins in an interview with CTV News on Friday.
"Island Health has been making changes, and some of those changes don't seem to make sense. It's actually making it more difficult for people to access health care."
Among those changes are "significant efforts" to manage the situation announced by the provincial government in January.
The government promised $30 million to upgrade the Port Hardy and Port McNeill hospitals, and to expand substance-use, mental health and at-home health services in the region.
