Fraser Health announced that due to a shortage of doctors, the emergency department at Mission Memorial Hospital would be temporarily closed overnight from Sunday to Monday. The closure to new patients would begin at 5 p.m. PT on Nov. 9 and end at 8 a.m. PT on Nov. 10. The decision was made to ensure that existing patients could receive care from doctors before the shift ended at 11 p.m. PT.
During the closure, emergency-trained nurses would remain at the hospital to provide basic care to walk-in patients and facilitate transfers to nearby hospitals for those requiring urgent attention. This closure of the hospital’s ER department overnight has occurred multiple times this year due to challenges in physician staffing, including closures on Oct. 31-Nov. 1, Aug. 3-4, March 29-30 and 30-31, and Feb. 15-16.
Fraser Health attributed the closure to ongoing physician shortages, a recurring issue leading to temporary ER closures in various regions of the province. In Delta, a city in Metro Vancouver with around 110,000 residents, the hospital’s emergency department has faced overnight closures four times this year, prompting a city councillor to describe the situation as a “public health emergency.”
Despite the ER closure, all other services at Mission Memorial Hospital remained operational, with Fraser Health confirming that its other emergency departments were fully staffed with physicians. However, the health authority cautioned that due to high demand and staffing challenges, longer wait times were expected for individuals with non-urgent medical needs.
Fraser Health emphasized its commitment to addressing physician staffing gaps promptly to ensure uninterrupted service for the Mission community. It advised residents in the area experiencing a medical emergency during the closure to dial 911 for assistance in reaching an open emergency department.