Backlash as Canada hospital shuts unit amid ‘pediatric care crisis’
BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA — Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) is closing its pediatric inpatient unit for at least six weeks due to critical staffing shortages, forcing emergency doctors to act as makeshift pediatric wards.
The closure—announced with less than a week’s notice, has left frontline staff scrambling and raised concerns about patient care in British Columbia’s Interior Health region. This has sparked outrage among physicians and parents, who call it a systemic failure—not just a temporary staffing issue
Staffing shortages force extended pediatric unit closure
Interior Health stressed “a chronic shortage of pediatricians” as the reason for the extended closure, though emergency physician at KGH, Dr. Jeff Eppler criticized the last-minute announcement, saying staff learned of the plan through a press release less than a week beforehand.
“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,” he added.
The closure reflects a broader recruitment crisis in pediatric care, with B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne acknowledged that attracting specialists to Kelowna and other regions remains difficult.
Dr. Hussam Azzam, Interior Health’s executive medical director, said they hope a new pediatrician arriving this summer will ease pressure, but for now, emergency departments must absorb inpatient pediatric cases, stretching already thin resources.
Stakeholders decry ‘pediatric health crisis’
Meanwhile, physicians and parents are rejecting Interior Health’s characterization of Kelowna General Hospital’s pediatric unit closure as a simple staffing shortage, instead calling it a systemic “pediatric care crisis.”
Dr. Hannah Duyvewaardt, a parent and an emergency room physician and parent, argues the six-week shutdown stems from pediatricians refusing unsafe working conditions—not a lack of available doctors.
“We’re having a doctor shortage because [pediatricians] are worried about putting their moral and professional integrity at risk, as well as patient safety,” she said, noting many local specialists now avoid KGH due to unsustainable workloads.
The crisis has reached the B.C. Legislature, with Kelowna and West Kelowna Conservative MLAs demanding answers after years of unaddressed warnings from frontline staff.
Emergency doctors forced to fill gaps, raising care concerns
Dr. Duyvewaardt reassured parents that emergency care for children at KGH remains unaffected, urging families to seek urgent treatment when needed, though admitted pediatric patients will face transfers due to the lack of pediatricians.
This follows Dr. Eppler’s warning that the ER has become a “de facto pediatric ward” for children requiring admission, as the unit’s closure forces them to stay in emergency departments.
While he assured parents that critical care remains available, he warned that emergency staff are not equipped for long-term pediatric admissions, especially amid existing nursing shortages.
Interior Health maintains that only general pediatric admissions are affected, with emergency and neonatal services still operational.
“We still provide good care,” Eppler said, emphasizing that better communication and long-term staffing solutions are needed to prevent future crises.
