A critical shortage of psychiatrists in P.E.I. sparked heated debate in the legislature Wednesday, with both the Opposition Tories and the Green party leader accusing the premier and health minister of downplaying the urgency of the situation.
In his first question period as Opposition leader, James Aylward said he has heard from residents across the province saying the mental health system is in a state of crisis.
“What I’ve heard has been a collective plea from Islanders that this mental health crisis that we’re experiencing here in P.E.I. would finally receive the urgent and immediate attention that it certainly deserves,” Aylward said.
Five beds have been temporarily closed in the psychiatric unit of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital due to a current psychiatrist shortage in P.E.I. There are only 9.7 psychiatrists practicing and only four of these are available for on-call work. The complement in P.E.I. is 15.
Opposition health critic Sidney MacEwen pointed to public statements by Health Minister Robert Henderson over the last several months where he sidestepped calls for him to acknowledge the situation is at “crisis” levels.
“The QEH and Hillsborough Hospital have had gaps in psychiatric care, days where there is simply no coverage,” MacEwen said.
“We’ve seen this crisis coming for months, if not years… minister, it’s time to stop talking and time to start acting. How much longer are we going to keep saying, ‘No there’s not a crisis,’ and are we going to keep downplaying this issue?”
Henderson acknowledged there is “duress on the system” due to a lack of adequate psychiatric coverage.
But saying P.E.I.’s mental health system is in crisis is bad for recruitment efforts underway to deal with the shortages, Henderson said.
“Some physicians may not be as interested in coming into a situations that are particularly difficult,” he said.
“I, as minister, have to provide a sense of confidence to Islanders that there’s a level of services out there. Is it the level of service that we want? We always want to do better… but the facts are that we still have services.”
A P.E.I. psychiatrist told The Guardian Tuesday the ongoing shortage of psychiatrists is putting mental health patients and staff at considerable risk.
Dr. Rob Jay, who works out of a mental health outpatient clinic at McGill Centre, said the province does not have the capacity to see people in a timely fashion, which has led to patients getting frustrated and becoming more ill.
Related: P.E.I. doctor says psychiatrist shortage putting patients, staff at risk
Last month, the province’s chief mental health and addictions officer, Dr. Heather Keizer, told a legislative standing committee the shortage is due, in part, to a number of retirements, attrition and because a group of psychiatrists recently left the province after a “performance review.”
Green Leader Peter Bevan-Baker questioned Henderson Wednesday on whether this means Health P.E.I. felt those physicians were putting greater risk to patients than having no psychiatrists at all?
Henderson explained those psychiatrists who left after performance reviews were internationally accredited and were always under supervision when treating patients in P.E.I. No patients were ever at risk, he said.
Premier Wade MacLauchlan said mental health is the “No. 1 priority” of all government departments and stressed that work is underway to recruit more professionals to the province to address the shortages.
And it appears relief is on the way. Four psychiatrists have signed agreements to come to P.E.I., two permanently and two as locums. They are expected to arrive in December and January. However, three of them are international physicians, so immigration issues may delay their arrival, Henderson noted.
In the long term, a review is underway of remuneration for psychiatrists, to ensure P.E.I. is offering a competitive wage. After all, this shortage is being experienced in areas across Canada, Henderson said.
“We’re doing our level best to try to fill these vacancies. It’s an extremely competitive market out there.”
