Parents with sick kids shouldn’t be deterred by ER overcrowding, doc says – CBC
‘I don’t think it’s fair to put the onus on parents to decide whether their kids have an emergency’
Dec 05, 2022
The respiratory viruses that cause COVID-19, RSV illnesses and influenza continue to circulate on P.E.I., particularly among children.
And while emergency rooms on the Island continue to deal with overcrowding and long waits, Dr. Trevor Jain says that shouldn’t stop concerned parents from taking their children to the hospital.
“We don’t like the messaging of ‘If you’re not in an acute crisis or having an emergency, do not come to the emergency department,'” said Jain, who works at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown and speaks on behalf of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians.
“I don’t think it’s fair to put the onus on parents to decide whether their kids have an emergency or not. If they can’t access a walk-in clinic, don’t have a family doctor, or can’t get into their family doctor because their family doctor’s offices are fully booked, then where else are they to go?”
