Delayed surgeries at Dartmouth General causing serious problems for patients

DARTMOUTH - The cancellation of surgeries at the Dartmouth General Hospital, and the overcrowding in the emergency room, is causing major problems for patients.

“I am hearing regularly from community members and from doctors and health care workers about the crisis at the Dartmouth General,” said Claudia Chender, MLA for Dartmouth South. “Staff are doing the best they can, but they need additional resources and supports to address the overcrowding of the emergency room and the cancellations of surgeries.”

Angela Hartlin’s mother broke her shoulder in three places on Monday. The surgery she needs has been scheduled each day, and cancelled each day, due to overcrowding at the Dartmouth General.

“My mom is still waiting for surgery. She has been told each afternoon this week that it is being postponed. She is in a lot of pain, and she has to fast each day to prepare for surgery that hasn’t happened,” said Hartlin. “This situation at the Dartmouth General needs to be fixed. The doctors, nurses and health care workers are working hard under impossible conditions. We need action from the government to solve this problem.”

On Tuesday, there were 23 patients without beds at the Dartmouth General, 15 of those were in the Emergency Department. People waited hours for triage, and elective surgeries were cancelled.

Chender questioned the Minister of Health and Wellness about the Dartmouth General on Wednesday, but the Liberal government has made no commitments to help. The Dartmouth General Hospital serves over 130,000 people, the second largest catchment area in the province.

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