(File photo/paNOW photo)

By Susan McNeil

Shellbrook hospital

Two new doctors in Shellbrook

Jul 26, 2022 | 1:00 PM

Shellbrook mayor Amund Otterson said the community now has two new doctors working in the clinic but nursing positions remain a challenge to fill.

“The thing I can report this month is that we have landed two new doctors,” said Otterson. “They started work yesterday in the clinic.”

As with many other areas, a challenge exists finding nurses, however.

Otterson said that four or five contract nurses have been hired to work in the hospital, but they are temporary.

The hospital had 10 of its 20 acute care beds closed in May because of the lack of staff but the SHA confirmed today that only five remain closed and emergency services have continued as normal.

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Another change is the loss of the money that paid for extra cleaning staff as a COVID mitigation measure.

That money meant an extra cleaning shift in the evenings which helped medical staff during the day.

“It was really helpful for the physicians and nurses and with that being reduced or taken away again, we now have doctors or RNs doing cleanup after a patient leaves,” Otterson said.

In June, the NDP accused the province of contributing to the shortage by posting nursing jobs as temporary rather than permanent, making it less likely that people would want to move for work.

Leader Carla Beck also said at the time that health care workers are burned out.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow