KELOWNA, B.C.: An independent review on pediatric services at Kelowna General Hospital has highlighted failures that must be addressed immediately, says Gavin Dew, MLA for Kelowna-Mission.

The report found that pediatric services at the hospital are under immense strain, with too few pediatricians to meet patients’ needs, an increased pressure to treat more patients locally, and a breakdown of trust between pediatricians and Interior Health administrators.

“This independent review confirms that frontline doctors and I were right to sound the alarm,” said Dew. “Interior Health has been warned for years, but concerns were not acted on quickly enough, trust with frontline healthcare workers collapsed, and children and families paid the price.

“I am encouraged that pediatric services have been restored and new physicians have been recruited. That progress reflects the dedication of health-care professionals who continued serving families through an incredibly difficult period. We should build on that progress by listening to frontline workers, acting on the review’s recommendations and measuring whether care is actually becoming more reliable.

“The Minister of Health is ultimately responsible for ensuring health authorities deliver safe, dependable care. Parents deserve reliable pediatric services, but this failure points to a much bigger problem: British Columbians deserve a health-care system they can rely on.

“After nine years in government, the NDP have made our health-care system less reliable, not more. A solutions-focused Conservative government will listen to frontline professionals, demand accountability, fix what is broken and get British Columbia back on track.”

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Media Contact:
Francesca Guetchev, Press Secretary
Francesca.Guetchev@leg.bc.ca
+1 (672) 922-0948