At least 27 elective surgeries have been cancelled in the last two months, leaving operating rooms empty at the University Hospital of Northern B.C., according to numbers compiled by the B.C. Nurses Union.
"It was due to short staffing of (operating room) nurses," said Veronica Lokken, union representative for the northeast region. "There is not enough OR-trained staff."
In September, 19 elective surgeries were cut and as of last week, between eight and 10 had been cancelled in Prince George in October.
Northern Health spokesman Jonathon Dyck said he couldn't confirm the numbers or why the surgeries had been cancelled, but acknowledged operating room staffing is a problem across the province.
"We are working on stabilizing staffing in the operating room in Prince George by adding staff to the team and providing additional training opportunities," Dyck said. "Recruitment for operating room nurses is a challenge not just in northern B.C. but nationally and internationally so it's something to keep in mind. We look at creative ideas to be able to do that."
He added a number of factors could go into rescheduling surgeries.
"Elective surgeries may be postponed for patients for a number of reasons including an unexpected emergency surgery, or unexpected illness from the surgeon or nursing team," he said, including other scheduling conflicts, like vacations. "We have to make sure we have the appropriate team available. It's not just about having the space."
That staffing levels can't respond to those leaves is part of the problem, Lokken said.
"They need to replace those nurses," she said. "You can't just be a surgical nurse and go work in the OR. You need that specialty training so unless they train specialty nurses, these problems are going to continue."
Lokken said it was important to recognize the cancellations represent elective - not emergency - surgeries.
"They're not life or limb surgeries," she said, but said losing elective surgeries is still concerning for patients.
"They are important because it's our seniors who need their cataracts removed," she said, as an example of the type of surgery that could be cancelled.
"The main thing is safe staffing, we need the amount of nurses to do the right kind of care. It's all over the place, it's not just Northern Health and they're trying to fix the problem," she said.
Dyck said Northern Health currently has nine nurses taking operating room courses as part of a training program it has offered for the last two years.
"It's up to three months training," Lokken said. "This isn't going to be solved by tomorrow. It will take awhile before we can get these nurses trained."
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