Cape Breton ER doc worried about pediatrician shortage this weekend

An emergency roomdoctor in Sydney, N.S.,is expressing concernabout the impact of not having a pediatrician available this weekend, but health officialssaya plan is in place to help young patients who need care.

The three pediatricians working in the area are unavailable andalocum cancelled at the last minute.

"We've had several cases this year where we've had to call in the pediatrician to assist with a trauma case," said Dr. MargaretFraserof the Cape Breton Regional Hospital.

For the most part, Frasersaid children who come to the ERhave issues that family doctors can handle, such asgastroenteritis or a bad respiratory infection.

EmergencyC-sections

But Frasersaid she'sconcerned aboutemergency caesarean sections because a pediatrician is needed to care for the baby.

"The babies in emergencyC-sectionsare more complicated," she said."They may be distressed. They may have some problems breathing and someone needs to be there to take care of that."

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Unusual situation

GregBoone, a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Health Authority, said in an interview late Fridaythat a Sydney-basedneonatologistwill be on call all weekend for obstetrics, including deliveries, and neonatal emergencies.

Lifeflightwill also be available to transport emergency cases.

Mickey Daye, the hospital'smanager of maternal child care services, said a situation like this has never happened before.

However, he said arrangements have also been made with the on-call pediatrician at St. Martha's Regional Hospital in Antigonish, N.S., to take phone consults.

"Then, if a patient needed to be admitted, they could be admitted to St. Martha's or to the IWK [in Halifax]," said Daye.

3 vacancies

Fraser said when she came toCape Breton in 2008, there were nine pediatricians. Now there are three who are on call every third weekend.

Daye said the area is allocatedsix pediatrician positions and three are currently vacant.

One pediatrician has been hired and will start at the end of the summer, he said, and the health authority is trying to recruit two more.