The emergency department at Port McNeill Hospital (PMH) will be temporarily shuttered again this weekend and a lack of staff is to blame, according to Island Health.
The health authority in a service notice says the PMH ER is facing another closure due to “limited staff availability,” this time from 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9 until 7 a.m. Monday, Sept. 12.
During the closure, Island Health says all other inpatient services will continue as normal, and encourages locals with a medical emergency to call 911 or, if possible, head to Port Hardy’s hospital, which is a half-hour drive away.
“The fact that people have to drive to another community is concerning,” Adriane Gear, B.C. Nurses’ Union (BCNU) vice president, told CHEK News following a similar closure in mid-August.
