A patient in a Nova Scotia town died last week from cardiac arrest at a hospital where no doctor was present, according to the mayor. Mayor Sylvester Atkinson of Middleton explained that volunteer firefighters had to respond to the Soldiers Memorial Hospital because the closest doctor was 30 minutes away. The mayor expressed his concerns about the lack of medical personnel in a letter to Premier Tim Houston. The fire department arrived at the hospital around 9 p.m. on June 15 and provided life-saving measures until the doctor arrived. Unfortunately, the patient did not survive. Health Minister Michelle Thompson, while unable to comment on the specific case, acknowledged the shortage of physicians in rural areas and mentioned efforts to recruit more healthcare workers. Nova Scotia Health assured that proper protocol was followed at the hospital and that there is always a doctor on call for in-patient care. The health spokesperson also mentioned the role of the 911 operator in dispatching first responders when immediate assistance is required.
On a different note, Thompson unveiled a care-coordination center in Halifax that aims to provide real-time information about wait lists, bed availability, and patient transfers. The $26.4-million system is intended to improve the efficiency of patient flow in the healthcare system and free up hospital beds. The health minister explained that the center can help healthcare workers identify available capacity in the system and transfer patients accordingly. In addition, Nova Scotia Health plans to hire 250 full-time healthcare workers, including physiotherapists, dietitians, pharmacists, and occupational therapists, in order to increase hospital care during evenings and weekends. These efforts come after the deaths of Allison Holthoff and Charlene Snow, who both experienced long wait times for emergency care and prompted changes in the healthcare system, such as the introduction of doctor-led triage teams and additional physician assistants in emergency rooms.