Prince Edward Island’s health system now only has one intensive care unit for the entire province, says MLA Gord McNeilly.
“With the ICU closing at PCH, I am worried patients will be moved to a bay within the Island’s main emergency department,” says McNeilly. “The ER at the QEH is already at capacity. This move will fully overwhelm the emergency department.”
The Intensive Care Unit at the Prince County Hospital no longer has the capacity to care for patients with severe or life-threatening conditions. Patients in Intensive Care Unit are being sent from PCH to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and will be placed in the trauma bay of the QEH emergency department.
“We’ve moved passed being in a health care crisis, we are now looking at a system in collapse,” says McNeilly.
“We know 30,000 Islanders are without a doctor and are forced to use the QEH emergency department for primary care. With the closure of the ICU in Summerside, the extensive wait times at the emergency department at the QEH will increase significantly.”
“Why did Health PEI announce this under the cover of Mother’s Day weekend and days after the Speech from the Throne? This move is reckless and is going to add more stress and strain to these patients, our health care system and its employees and Islanders trying to access emergency services at the QEH. What alternatives were considered before this decision was made? How long did Health PEI know that the ICU at PCH was going to have to close?”
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