Shortages have meant overworked staff, a slide in patient care, and even temporary hospital ward closures.
By Brishti Basu May 19, 2022
[Excerpt] For the past three weeks, Rachel has been recovering in a crowded unit at Royal Jubilee Hospital (RJH). Like most units at that hospital these days, hers has too many patients and not enough staff to look after them, creating an unsafe situation for everyone involved.
“I’ve never seen the system so bad,” said Rachel, a 37-year-old woman who has had chronic health issues and complex care needs for decades, resulting in a deep familiarity with RJH, and other hospitals across the country. Her name has been changed to protect her identity as she fears that Island Health could remove funding for the types of healthcare she needs, in retaliation for criticism.
“They’re supposed to have a certain ratio of health care aides; they’re short on those too,” she said. “We will go days without housekeeping and garbages are overflowing.” Despite being a patient, she said she is constantly having to wipe down surfaces because of a shortage of housekeeping services. There have also been days when the unit has had no clean towels, when Rachel herself tied up garbage bags and placed them outside the unit, or when, due to there not being a unit clerk for a few days, even medical supplies ran short.
