Orthopaedic Surgeons Set To Limit Services

Monday, April 27, 2009 04:01 AM

Prince George, B.C. - All six Orthopaedic Surgeons who practise in Prince George say that beginning May 1^st; they will no longer be accepting new non-urgent surgical referrals.

Speaking for the group, which includes Doctors H. Dreyer, D. Nelson, T Olmstead, R Purnell and P.Van Zyl , Dr Michael Moran says , "It just breaks my heart to see people come into the office when I know that I can’t do the surgery they require”. It is a shame he says, “I am BC trained and you give me 5 ½ hours of work a week." Moran says non-urgent referrals would have to wait at least a year and half before their surgery could be done.

The Orthopaedic Surgeons say their counterparts in Kamloops, Kelowna, Vernon and many other centers get between 2 and 3 days a week of operating room time. "Last year" Moran says "I got a total of 42 days of operating time of 7 hours."

According to the province's own Wait List service, there are 17,287 people in the Province waiting for orthopaedic surgery. More than 10% (1855) are waiting for orthopaedic surgery at Prince George Regional Hospital, that is the longest wait list for orthopaedic surgery in B.C.

All six in Prince George say the problem in part has been the shortage of Anaesthetists. "We have already lost two and a third is set to leave in June. Northern Health has let the problem drag on, there has been no major effort to recruit the needed doctors, and so the problem simply compounds itself."

Dr. Moran says, "We are entering an age where more and more baby boomers need orthopaedic work and we simply have to sit idly by and watch them suffer, it breaks my heart."

Northern Health's Manager of Communications, Steve Raper says surgical wait times have been the subject of a review that began in January "There will be changes implemented within 4-6 weeks" says Raper. He was not able to elaborate on what those changes might be.

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Posted on Monday, April 27, 2009 04:01 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: BCRacer on April 27 2009 6:19 AM

I think all the surgeons must be in the same boat. I have been waiting 15 months for an operation that takes 30 minutes...wonder if I waved a couple thousand dollars around if all of a sudden operating rooms would become available like they do down south??? So much for not having a two tier system

Posted by: Andyfreeze on April 27 2009 6:43 AM

I waited 11 months for knee surgery.

Posted by: cheeta on April 27 2009 7:09 AM

What is Northern Health's reason for not recruiting for Anaesthetists. They should at least be trying to recruit!
So what is the excuse?

Posted by: acrider54 on April 27 2009 7:23 AM

It could'nt happen to have something to do with our current government could it?

Posted by: ammonra on April 27 2009 9:13 AM

I have been waiting over 3� years for a laparoscopic surgery. There is only oner hospital that does it in BC and only two surgeons. The one I am registered with has a wait list of over 900 patients, the largest wait liast in BC.

Posted by: NMG on April 27 2009 9:23 AM

Inability to recruit physicians? There could be loads of reasons:

- Perhaps it relates to the way the Health Authority is managed
- Perhaps we have too many "old school" docs who don't like new guys or gals stepping on "their turf" and that results in a terrible working environment
- Perhaps health care professionals don't want to move to a city with terrible air and a putrid downtown core
- Perhaps our emerging reputation as a gang hub isn't doing us any favours with people looking to set up roots
- Perhaps the people who graduate from these programs still view PG (if they've even heard of us) as a redneck mill town that they want nothing to do with

I don't think it's rocket science folks. I have a great idea though, why don't we ask them why they aren't coming? Are we too scared to hear the answers or do we not care enough to do anything about it when we do get the answers?

Posted by: seamutt on April 27 2009 9:35 AM

Its Northern Health management spending most of their time planning their next raise. They don't seem to have trouble finding that money.

Posted by: The Real Moses on April 27 2009 9:44 AM

Something is wrong with our medical system, when we let otherwise productive people sit idle, waiting for surgery for months and sometimes years on end. Is is lack of money or management? Generally I do appreciate our medical system here in Canada, but there are a few wrinkles we need to iron out.

Posted by: DPJ on April 27 2009 9:54 AM

They have been able to recruit other specialists. Does not help if patients cannot be put to sleep (unless use a frying pan on their heads). They will have to focus their attention to recruit Anesthetists.

I do have a friend on the wait list for knee surgery. Thankfully she is on the "emergency" list so should get it done in next few months (hopefully).

Posted by: Loki on April 27 2009 11:42 AM

It is not all on the surgeons. The biggest issue is O.R. scheduling. I have heard that PGRH is actually lacking in operating room support staff.

Posted by: Harbinger on April 27 2009 12:26 PM

These doctors don't have to limit services to their patients. The government does that for them already.

Posted by: Eagleone on April 27 2009 3:03 PM

Ditto to Harbingers comment. This is purely a political problem IMO.

Posted by: Denaljo on April 27 2009 8:07 PM

Long wait lists. highest child poverty, record setting cost overruns etc. etc. Hell - the olympics are worth a little death, pain and suffering!

Posted by: lmorge on April 28 2009 9:07 PM

If you can, go south. Better ones there.
Check out www.ratemds.com to get the skinny on them.

Posted by: lmorge on April 28 2009 9:09 PM

OR, www.ratemymd.ca