After more than two weeks of shutdown, the nursery and pediatric department of Le Royer hospital in Baie-Comeau will finally be able to reopen their doors on Thursday morning, local health authorities announced in a press release on Wednesday. But the situation “remains fragile” on the North Shore.
These services were interrupted on May 18 due to the lack of nurses in the region.
At the end of May, in the absence of a nursery service, the hospital had to transfer a baby born to Quebec without its mother, a situation which had placed the CISSS de la Côte-Nord and the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé , in embarrassment.
Announcement of reopening comes just hours after pregnant woman had to be moved outside, says Dr Youssef Ezahr, anesthesiologist at Le Royer hospital and president of the Council of Physicians, Dentists and Pharmacists of the North Shore. Although delighted with the news, the doctor now wonders how long the nursery will remain open, because the press release released Wednesday does not specify this.
Waiting for the flying team
The CISSS de la Côte-Nord, however, says it is “preparing for the deployment of the national flying team” from the Ministry of Health, which is expected on June 20. In the meantime, the resumption of service was made possible by “internal resources”, according to the CISSS, which also had to conclude new agreements with independent labor in recent weeks.
The CISSS also reports that the situation “remains fragile” in many sectors of the North Shore. Half of the pediatric beds at the Sept-Îles hospital are closed, and the activity of the operating theaters there remains reduced. Finally, patient transfers are always done internally or “to other establishments in Quebec”.
The lack of medical personnel means that the Forestville emergency room will have to operate without a doctor next weekend.