SPRINGHILL, N.S. -- Emergency room closures in Nova Scotia hospitals have become a common problem throughout the province, and residents of Springhill will be spending the next week without an ER room to turn to.
Residents like Ervin Bird say a lack of physician coverage and patients’ being sent to Amherst for treatment has become a far too familiar story.
“I had a young fella that broke his ankle, and he had to have a pin put in. And he was actually up in the hallway in Amherst for about a day and a half,” said Bird.
“Your first reaction is you want to get mad at the doctors, but it's not their fault, the ones that are there,” he said.
There’s a notice taped on the front door of the E.R. which says there is a nurse on staff overnight, but residents say they want more than a notice from the provincial government.
“I think the government should be paying away their college, with a stipulation when they get out of college, they stay in the province for at least ten years,” said Springhill resident John Weatherbee.
A spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Health Authority said in a statement that they are continually looking to recruit doctors, but it’s a long process.
"No one takes any pleasure in having emergency department closures, whether they are scheduled or temporary. We realise that it is confusing and frustrating for some people in the community," the statement reads.
But until more doctors can be recruited, week-long closures like the one taking place in Springhill could continue to be a reality.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Emily Baron Cadlof
