Hospital says national shortage of anesthesiologists cause for concern
Niagara Health says its working on a plan to maintain operating services at the Welland site, despite a shortage of anesthesiologists.
The organization says the current model for scheduled surgeries and orthopedic procedures at the site is unsustainable.
At the moment, Niagara Health has 25 anesthesiologists, with 20 available for on-call work.
Six anesthesiologists are eligible for retirement this year, and the hospital system says 30 are needed to maintain the current level of service.
Niagara Health says its considering a model that will see the Welland site operating room closed from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 a.m. during the week, and around the clock on weekends.
If approved, emergency and urgent surgical cases from the Welland site will be sent to the Niagara Falls site overnight and on weekends.
The St. Catharines site will continue to receive transfers for vascular surgery and obstetrics cases at all times.
Niagara Health says many clinical services are only provided at a specific site, so it has a process for immediate transfers.
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