Emergency services at Merritt hospital temporarily suspended, again, due to lack of staff

Nicola Valley Hospital and Health Care Centre in Merritt, B.C., is seen in this photo from the Interior Health website.

For the third time in three weeks, a hospital in Merritt has been forced to temporarily close its emergency department.

Interior Health announced Tuesday morning that it was suspending emergency services at Nicola Valley Hospital for 24 hours, starting at 8 a.m.

The emergency department is usually open 24/7, but Interior Health says the temporary closure was necessary “due to unexpected physician vacancy.”

“During this time, all other inpatient services will continue as normal,” reads the notice.

People living in Merritt and surrounding areas were alerted of a similar closure on Friday night, when emergency services were suspended for 13.5 hours “due to unexpected, limited nursing availability.”

On Feb. 7, Interior Health notified the public that Nicola Valley Hospital’s emergency department would be closed the following day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.—again, due to a lack of physicians.

According to Interior Health’s website, there are currently six physicians working at Nicola Valley Hospital and Health Centre—a facility that has eight acute care beds, as well as six stretcher beds for emergency care.

A job posting indicates the centre is looking to hire a family physician.

“Emergency department shifts are 24 hours and there is a minimum expectation of two shifts per month,” the job description reads. “Merritt currently has seven physicians and one nurse practitioner”

Notice about the closure was met with concerns over the winter storm warning that’s currently in effect for the Coquihalla Highway.

Patients requiring urgent care are being told to go to Kamloops' Royal Inland Hospital, which is about 85 kilometres away along Highway 5.

On Twitter, one woman expressed concerns about her friend who may have pneumonia, but can’t go to Nicola Valley Hospital’s ER.

“Now, her and her 80-year-old husband have to drive to Kamloops through the snowstorm,” Carmen Langdon wrote.