Editor:
Re: Crisis at the ER, says returning surgeon, Jan. 14.
Congratulations to Dr. Ray Dykstra for providing a fresh comparative perspective on the ER situation at the Peace Arch Hospital.
His observations, following locums “from Newfoundland to Port Alberni and Yellowknife,” serve to highlight the serious nature of overcrowding, long waiting periods and extreme stress on medical staff and administration.
Those of us who have had cause to be grateful for ER services are well aware of many of Dykstra’s concerns, such as: “the population to bed ratio has never been properly balanced.”
When will the B.C. government acknowledge the need to monitor and take action on demographic change relative to hospital capacity?
Iain Barnes, Surrey
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Dr. Ray Dykstra has every right to be concerned about the Peace Arch Hospital and any other facility in White Rock.
South Surrey has been expanding its growth rapidly for quite some time now, and one cannot help but wonder why more facilities have not been put in place to accommodate such growth.
Is one small hospital expected to treat all these people? What about care homes in place for our elderly? What about schools and daycare centres for our children?
Did anyone stop to think we might need more facilities to accommodate the rapid growth –or are we all just waiting for the inevitable to happen?
Cheryl Berti, White Rock