GABRIOLA 鈥� Gabriola Island doctors say cancelling evening ferry sailings would put patient safety at risk and are calling upon the province to tweak its proposal for service cuts to the island.
Residents recently celebrated the launching of the Gabriola Medical Clinic to serve the island鈥檚 population, which lacks ferry service to Nanaimo
Regional General Hospital after 11 p.m. The B.C. Ministry of Transportation proposes to cut two additional return evening sailings on April 1, as part of measures to be spread over 16 routes to save B.C. Ferries $14 million per year.
That would make the 8:50 p.m. sailing the last ferry off the island, which would pose increased risk to patients, according to three Gabriola Island doctors who signed a joint letter to senior government officials.
鈥淲e are very concerned that many islanders will not seek appropriate emergency care out of fear of being stranded for the night,鈥� said the letter, signed by Drs. Francois Bosman, Tracey Thorne and Maciej Mierzewski.
Doctors fear too many patients will ignore their symptoms until morning.
The proposed cuts would require Gabriola Islanders to stay in Nanaimo overnight if they have a medical emergency in the evening.
Emergency room waiting times at NRGH mean patients who go to the emergency department after 5 p.m. will not have time to catch the last sailing at 9:25 p.m. 鈥淭hey will be sicker when they do present for care, or the opportunity for timely interventions will have passed. This will result in serious negative health outcomes for islanders, not to mention increased costs to the health care system in the long run.鈥�
Young people will leave shifting demographics toward an aging population, with more health problems.
The doctors would prefer cuts to midday sailings.
