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Global News
2 days ago
- Health
- Global News
Former pediatrics head at Kelowna hospital says calls for changes were ignored by IH
When Dr. Kate Runkle was head of the pediatrics department at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) between 2019 and 2021, she says she constantly pushed for changes to the pediatric staffing and service model. 'I did presentations at the highest levels that I could to advocate change,' Runkle told Global News. However, Runkle says those calls for changes to Interior Health (IH) administration continually fell on deaf ears. 'It was like screaming underwater, like we just didn't get anywhere,' Runkle said. The unsuccessful pleas from pediatricians working at the hospital started in 2019. Feeling unheard and devalued for several years, according to Runkle, pediatricians began to resign. In 2023 alone, seven pediatricians handed in their resignations. Runkle was one of them. Story continues below advertisement 'At a certain point, it just became unsafe,' Runkle said. 'I use the analogy of working at a construction site and if you are alerting your staff and your boss about unsafe work conditions over and over again and you're not being heard — I mean, you would quit. You would go somewhere else.' The unsafe conditions Runkle is referring to is the physical layout of the five different areas that all too often, a single pediatrician has to provide coverage in. 'In simplest terms, imagine you are working in a space that is five separate areas,' she said. 'These areas are physically in different buildings in the hospital. They're on different floors. They're physically separated from each other, and in each of those spaces, is the potential for a critically-ill child or newborn.' Those spaces include labour and delivery, the pediatrics unit, neonatal intensive care unit, the emergency department and the adult ICU, where critically-ill children are placed given the lack of a pediatric ICU at KGH. Runkle says being in different areas at once is impossible, prompting physicians to make very difficult decisions on which child will receive their limited care. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Not only does there need to be a complete shift in the way that we provide service at Kelowna General Hospital, but in a way that the administration responds to our concerns before we can move forward,' she said. Story continues below advertisement While the resignations did cause occasional disruptions of pediatric services, on May 26, they resulted in the closure of the entire pediatric ward for at least six weeks. IH has said the decision was a difficult one to make but necessary to protect pediatric coverage for critical services, such as high-risk deliveries. Among the changes that pediatricians have long called for is a staffing model that has at least two pediatricians on shift 24/7. 'We started advocating for double coverage. We actually voluntarily split ourselves in half in 2015 to allow for two people on during the day to cover both the neonatal side and the pediatric side in the hospital. So we did that on our own volition,' Runkle said. 'We started advocating to completely split the services for 24 hours a day, starting in 2019.' Instead of looking back internally at how the situation was managed and why those concerns expressed by doctors weren't taken seriously, both B.C.'s health minister, Josie Osborne, and IH CEO Susan Brown have repeatedly blamed the crisis on the current global doctor shortage. 'In a time of a global shortage of physicians and a shortage of pediatricians….they have made a difficult decision to close the pediatric facility,' Osborne said at a unrelated news conference on May 22 when asked about the situation by Global News. Story continues below advertisement Brown also continues to blame the crisis on the COVID-19 pandemic. 'In 2019, some of the pediatric doctors came forward with some concerns about some resources they wanted to see and some planning started but then of course the pandemic came into play,' Brown told Global News in a Zoom interview on June 5. 2:09 Interior Health executive compensation despite ongoing issues at KGH Brown is set to retire in December. The B.C. Conservatives have called on her resignation to fast-track a leadership transition to get a new CEO in place sooner to tackle the crisis. Brown, however, continues to be backed by Osborne and the chair of the IH board of directors, Dr. Robert Halpenny. In an email to Global News on Wednesday, IH stated one new pediatrician is slated to start working at the hospital this summer with two more expected to join in September. Story continues below advertisement But as Kelowna's population grows, so does the number of pediatric patients and complex medical cases, which will require a lot more resources and a bolstered delivery model to meet the growing needs. 'That's been one of the biggest challenges for us on the ground, is that there are just more kids in Kelowna, and therefore more kids who are getting severely, severely sick,' Runkle said. 'We are not keeping up.' As IH looks ahead at a leadership transition with Brown's end-of-year retirement, Runkle and her colleagues hope whoever takes over makes pediatric care in Kelowna a priority. 'There needs to be a champion within the administration who is making a long term plan for pediatric service delivery in Kelowna…that includes vision for the future,' Runkle said.
The Hindu
14-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
HPV-related cancer can affect men too, say doctors
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-related disease, particularly cervical cancer, is the second highest cause of cancer among women in India. Cervical cancer is preventable with timely vaccination and screening. Unfortunately, due to the lack of awareness, high vaccine cost and limited access, vaccination in India is very low at 1%, said doctors at the 'Conquer HPV and Cancer Conclave 2025' organised by Serum Institute of India, here, on Friday. HPV vaccination is equally important for men too, as they can turn out to be silent carriers and transmit the disease to their sexual partner in later life, said the doctors. Dr. I. Vani, Superintendent, King George Hospital (KGH); Dr. R. Vidya Rama, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Andhra Medical College (AMC); Dr. Sunanda Rani Gutta, Director and Chief Consultant Gyneacologist of Nikitha Hospital; Dr. Sai Sunil Kishore Manem, Chief Neonatologist, Medicover Hospital; Dr. Buddha Murali Santosh, Neonatologist and Paediatrician, Motherly Women and Children Hospital, Vizag, were among those who participated in the programme. Dr. Vidya Rama and Dr. Sunanda Rani explained that the age group of 9 to 15 was the best time for the administration of HPV vaccine for both girls and boys. Though the earlier vaccine (imported) was available for over 15 years in India, the poor compliance could be attributed to the lack of awareness, high cost and other factors. 'Indigenous vaccine' Now, an indigenous vaccine (cervavac), brought out by Serum Institute of India, was available at a lower cost. While HPV is commonly associated with cervical cancer in women, it also causes serious diseases in men, including penile cancer, oropharyngeal cancer and genital warts. Unlike girls, for whom routine screening tests are available to detect early signs of HPV-related diseases, no such screening is available for men, hence prevention is crucial here, the doctors said. Dr. Sunanda Rani said that another advantage of vaccination was that herd immunity would develop when the maximum number of people were administered with the vaccine. She reminded of the slogan: 'Do teeke zindagi ki' (two vaccine doses for life) to create awareness on the need to take two doses of the vaccine for those in the target group. 'Highly effective' Dr. Vani said that the HPV vaccine was effective up to 98%. She hoped that with the indigenous vaccine and low cost, the vaccination rate would increase to at least 90%. She said that FOGSI (Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Societies of India) has appealed to the Government of India to make HPV vaccination a part of the universal immunisation programme and the government was said to be considering it.
CBC
31-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Kelowna General Hospital doctors warn of 'collapse' of primary maternity care coverage
Doctors in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) are warning that the maternity ward is on the verge of collapse amid a shortage of family physicians. A joint statement from all nine members of the department issued Thursday said that "without immediate action from health authorities and government decision-makers, the safety of patients and newborns is at serious risk." "Due to a critical shortage of family physicians willing or able to provide this care— worsened by a failure to recruit replacements—our hospital is facing a collapse of its primary maternity care coverage as early as June 1, 2025. "This means that many pregnant patients may arrive at the hospital in labour with no doctor available to provide safe, continuous care during delivery." The doctors said their concerns about staffing and support have gone largely unanswered and they're demanding immediate action from Interior Health. The doctor representing the group declined an interview request from CBC News. Dr. Hussam Azzam, executive medical director for Interior Health South, acknowledged the physicians' concerns, saying KGH leadership is in regular contact with with the ob-gyns to address a complex issue with "multiple pillars to it that we need to address." "We are open to listen and we're open to work with them collaboratively to meet their needs and to deliver the best quality care that they've trained to do," Azzam said. Dr. Charlene Lui, president of the professional association Doctors of B.C., said family doctors often handle low-risk patients with obstetricians focused on cases that are high risk and more complex. "When we have fewer low-risk maternity providers that are family physicians, then that puts additional pressure on our obstetricians to sometimes need to be in several places at the same time when an emergency arises," Lui said. The statement followed last week's announcement of an extended closure of the pediatric unit at KGH. The health authority said it temporarily closed the pediatric care unit at the hospital to address scheduling gaps due to limited physician availability. "We are very alarmed to hear that the issues at Kelowna General continue to escalate without solutions from the health authority," Lui said Friday. KGH is a regional referral centre with over 1,800 deliveries each year and a Tier 4 neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) caring for babies born at 30 weeks gestation or later, according to the doctors' letter. Dr. Jeff Eppler, an emergency department physician at KGH, told CBC News on Friday that he was heading into a weekend shift amid staff shortages, including no pediatricians and a limited number of ob-gyns. "Our staff is burning out. All of these service disruptions just make the job so much harder for all of us in the emergency department," Eppler said. "And even though we are all starting to burn out, we are going to have to pick up extra shifts this summer to make up for all the shortcomings in the system." In a statement, B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne said parents can be assured that all of the hospital's critical care services for children remain open, including the emergency department and NICU. Gavin Dew, the B.C. Conservative MLA for Kelowna-Mission, described the situation at the hospital as a "crisis of government neglect." "We have multiple departments of the hospital who clearly feel as if they are not being heard by the folks who should be listening to them and are resorting to making public the crisis-level conditions at the hospital," Dew said. The hospital ob-gyns said they have warned administrators of the risks, and have tried to offer solutions. "We have submitted multiple letters, proposals, and formal communications urging action," reads the statement. "Our concerns have gone largely unanswered." They are calling on Interior Health and B.C.'s health ministry to create a contingency plan to ensure patients are cared for and to support the transfer of maternity patients if care can't be provided locally. Osborne acknowledged the hard work of pediatricians at KGH, saying they have been dealing with staffing shortages and are "understandably experiencing burnout." She went on to say the province's efforts to recruit health-care workers are starting to pay off. Two new pediatricians have accepted offers to work at KGH, she said, with the first set to arrive in July.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Kettering hospital child patients 'at risk' due to 'dysfunctional' departments
Child patients faced a "very serious risk" of increased deaths and deterioration of their conditions due to failings at a hospital, according to an independent shortages, poor culture and 'inadequate' nursing skills were identified at Kettering General Hospital's (KGH) children's and young people's paediatric and urgent care consultants Ibex Gale, which conducted the investigation, also said a "them and us" culture had also developed between NHS trust which runs the hospital said it was "committed to creating the best service possible for our patients, families and colleagues". Ibex Gale was brought in to conduct what is known as a patient safety culture review following "serious concerns" from staff, patients, and parents. Inquest findings and patient safety incidents also prompted the trust board to take action. The consultant's report highlighted workforce shortages and inexperienced staff who told the investigators they were overwhelmed by demand. Staff described an "unhealthy culture that creates an environment where stress, negativity, and dysfunction become the norm"."The perceived staff shortages, and the concerns raised regarding the inadequacy of agency/trust adult nurses' paediatric skills and experience, create a very serious risk of increased mortality and morbidity for patients," the report continued. Ibex Gale described a disjointed culture with low psychological safety, where staff felt reluctant to put forward ideas, offer suggestions or have challenging environment with psychological safety is one where people feel comfortable expressing themselves without worrying about negative consequences, according to the Royal College of report also highlighted a lack of collaboration between staff at the Skylark children's ward and the paediatric emergency affected safety, it said, and contributed to "a lack of collective responsibility for patients". The BBC had previously exposed failings at Skylark shared concerns about care at the unit and said staff had ignored symptoms of serious illnesses, sometimes with fatal Care Quality Commission (CQC) is also considering a criminal prosecution following the death of Chloe 13-year-old from Market Harborough in Leicestershire, died from pneumonia and sepsis in November 2022, one day after being admitted to the death was contributed to by neglect, according to a coroner, and the hospital admitted it had failed to deliver the care Chloe deserved. The report authors said only 36% of the relevant staff members had engaged with the review, despite the period for them to do so being equates to just 77 out of a possible a survey conducted as part of the review, just 55% of staff said they were confident the trust was delivering safe paediatric was outstripping the skilled paediatric workforce and estate resources, the report added. The University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Foundation Trust, which operates Kettering General, said it had instituted a series of measures to improve safety and performance. These included:A twice-daily "safety huddle" where senior nurses, medical teams and operational staff meet to discuss safetyMultidisciplinary monthly simulation training for medical and nursing staff, strengthening team collaboration and clinical capability and practising dealing with difficult clinical scenariosListening Events to improve staff and patient experienceSenior nurse away days "to support improved working between the children's ward and paediatric emergency department"Making the leadership more visibleMore patient engagement, "ensuring their voices shape care delivery, safety improvements, and service design" The University Hospitals of Northamptonshire chief nurse, Julie Hogg, said: "As part of our improvement work, we commissioned a review to look into how we could improve our culture within the service, to have a positive impact on patient safety".She added: "The report identified a number of areas that we need to improve, and our new Children and Young Person's leadership team is focusing on working with colleagues, and listening to our patients, to make and embed the changes swiftly and effectively."Ms Hogg said they had accepted all of the recommendations, which "will inform a comprehensive improvement plan"."This plan will be tracked through governance structures and reported publicly to ensure transparency and accountability. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
CBC
24-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Pediatric unit at Kelowna hospital to close for at least 6 weeks amid doctor shortage
An emergency department physician is sounding the alarm about staffing shortages within Interior Health following the announcement of an extended closure of the pediatric unit at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH). In a statement, Interior Health says the service disruption to the KGH's 10-bed inpatient general pediatrics unit will start Monday and last at least six weeks as pediatricians will be moved to the neonatal intensive care unit and high-risk deliveries. The health authority says it is making the temporary changes to pediatric care at the hospital to address scheduling gaps due to limited physician availability. Dr. Jeff Eppler, an emergency department physician at KGH, said parents shouldn't hesitate to bring their sick child to the emergency department to get the care they need. "I think the contingency will be if the sick child comes in ... if they need to be admitted then they are going to be staying in [the] emergency department," he said. Eppler said there had been some planning for disruptions in pediatric services, "but we were never prepared to become what is essentially a de facto pediatric ward." Dr. Hussam Azzam, Interior Health's executive medical director in community and maternity care, said that staff can make arrangements to have a young patient transferred to another hospital, hopefully within the Interior Health region. Eppler is critical of how the news was communicated to staff, saying they found out about the service interruption through a press release less than a week before the closure. Azzam said there have been shorter periods of interrupted coverage in KGH's pediatric department over the last few months due to "a chronic shortage of pediatricians" at the hospital who can look after inpatients. Eppler said he and other hospital staff knew there were going to be some disruptions to pediatric services that could last a day or even a few days, but they had no idea that a closure would last for more than a month. "I suspect this situation has been brewing for a lot longer and we should have been notified much sooner so we could do better planning," Eppler said. "This affects our department greatly because we're already often short nurses." Interior Health said the interruption in service only affects children who need to be admitted to the general pediatric unit. All critical care services for children — including the emergency department and neonatal intensive care unit — are open. Recruiting pediatricians challenging, says health minister B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne said the decision to shutter the pediatric unit for at least six weeks was a difficult one, noting that recruiting staff amid a global shortage of health-care workers is a challenge. "Pediatricians generally has been a specialty that's been more difficult to recruit to and Kelowna is not alone in experiencing these kinds of shortages," Osborne said. Azzam said they are constantly working to improve recruitment efforts. "We are hoping that there is at least one pediatrician [who] will be joining us in in the summer, so that will hopefully alleviate the pressure," he said. Eppler said it's important to emphasize that he and his emergency department colleagues will continue to provide patients with the care they need.
