The Summerside, P.E.I., mayor and council are asking the provincial health minister to reopen the ICU at the Prince County Hospital.
In a public letter issued on Thursday, Summerside Mayor Dan Kutcher asked Health Minister Mark McLane to attend the public meeting on Feb. 1 to explain why ICU services were withdrawn from the Prince County Hospital. Kutcher said he has also invited the interim CEO of Health PEI.
Kutcher further asked McLane to commit to reopening the ICU and return the hospital to its full-functioning capacity.
“In support of this commitment, we are calling on you to direct and empower Health PEI to develop and share the long overdue, and previously promised, action plan detailing how you will successfully meet these commitments,” Kutcher wrote. “The plan must include metrics for success, accountability and impacts on patient outcomes.
“As each day passes without these essential services, the health and lives of our residents are at risk — as risk that I, as Mayor of this City and City Council are not prepared to accept.”
Last May, Health PEI closed the ICU due to a lack of internal medicine doctors at the hospital. A progressive care unit was set up to cover the gap in services.
Earlier this month, 42 doctors wrote a letter about ongoing problems at the Prince County Hospital. In a previous interview with CTV News, Dr. Steve MacNeill, the elected spokesperson of the group who signed the letter, said the progressive care unit is no longer working.
“I don’t think the PCU is going to be able to be resurrected, from what I’m understanding,” he said. “It’s just, it was too much, and too complicated, and too overwhelming for the physicians involved.”
Addressing the doctors’ letter, Health PEI said it has made recent hires to the medical staff at the hospital, but noted more needs to be done.
According to the letter from the mayor, the town hall meeting will start at 7 p.m. at the Credit Union Place in Summerside.
-With files from Jack Morse
