Merritt emergency room closes due to heatwave amid lack of doctors | Radio NL

Photo via Interior Health

Emergency medical services are once again unavailable in Merritt and will remain so through today and tomorrow morning.

Interior Health closed the emergency department at Nicola Valley Hospital on Sunday morning at 8 a.m. and will keep it closed until Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. due to a shortage of doctors.

The announcement comes as a heat warning has been issued by Environment Canada, warning of a “moderate” risk to public health due to unusually high temperatures in Merritt and other communities in the South Thompson area.

“There’s messages online and all over the world encouraging people to stay cool,” Merritt Mayor Mike Goetz said. “If you have an air conditioner, use it. If you have an elderly neighbor, check on them. I think we’re going to open up some cooling areas to the public here in town. I think most people are going to do that.”

At the same time, Goetz says he intends to rekindle his ongoing efforts with the province to secure more medical staff for Nicola Valley Hospital.

“I’m probably going to be doing a weekly call here for the foreseeable future just to make sure everything is going well because we’re going into a long weekend. That’s when the festivals and everything else happen, and we have to keep the hospital open for that,” Goetz said. “I haven’t sent in my application for taxes and fire department yet. I’m waiting until next month to do that because I really feel like the premier needs to explain why, with an election coming up, he’s asking us to trust him again when he can’t afford to understand that you took money from a community and didn’t provide the service.”

The 48-hour closure follows the closure of the Merritt emergency room overnight Thursday due to a shortage of nurses.

Forecast for this week for Merritt/via Environment Canada