Jan 31 2010
The
Department of Obstetrics and the Neonatal Unit at Royal Columbian Hospital
(RCH) are extremely concerned about the upcoming move by Fraser Health to close
the most efficient tertiary perinatal program in the country currently located
at RCH and set up a new one at Surrey Memorial Hospital (SMH) effective
February 1. The current program at RCH delivers and cares for 40% of the
province's premature infants born at under 30 weeks – the most tiny and fragile
newborns in the province. For more than 15 years, the RCH perinatal and
neonatal team has developed and increased its expertise to become the most
revered unit it is today.
The Fraser Health Authority's plan to shut
down the program at RCH and 24 hours later open the new one at SMH could have
negative consequences for our most vulnerable patients. The obstetricians and
paediatricians of RCH share these concerns. "As the professionals who provide
this necessary service, we are concerned that without a workable transition
period and without the necessary resources at SMH to take care of these
remarkable patients, many emergent mothers and their premature babies could
encounter unnecessary complications putting their lives at risk," said Dr. Peter
Beresford, Head of RCH Department of Obstetrics.
A fledgling program at SMH, at least in the
short term, may not be as efficient as the original neonatal unit and therefore
may not operate at the same capacity. This could result in a reduction in the
overall provincial capacity to provide care for high risk mothers and their
premature babies leading to an increase in transfers out of the province.