The reduced hours of UBC Hospital’s emergency department has hindered some students from getting emergency health care services on campus.
On August 16, the operating hours of the emergency department at UBC Hospital were reduced from 10 p.m. to 8 p.m. to review an issue of overworked staff. In an email sent to The Ubyssey in November, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) — which oversees the operations of UBC Hospital — said there has not been any updates on when the ER will return to its usual hours.
The reduced hours have delayed students’ access to the emergency health care services on campus, according to those who spoke to The Ubyssey.
“Since I only ended class at 7:30 [p.m.], I wouldn't be able to make it to the 8 p.m. deadline. So that cut off prevented me from going to hospital until the weekend when I had time,” said Gavin Fung, a first-year Sauder student. He tried to visit the ER on a Monday and went there again on a Sunday.
“If we did have a medical emergency after class, we'd still have extra time before the ER closes at 10 p.m. That'd be enough time [and] I would have been able to go on Monday, rather than having to wait till Sunday.”
Fung said his sickness affected his academic performances. “My illness was prolonged for so long … Even though I tried my best on those assignments, it probably could have been better if I did see [the doctor] earlier.”
VCH suggested patients to visit other hospitals in Vancouver after 8 p.m., but Fung said he wasn’t able to when he was sick. “I was so sick for a couple of days … I couldn't even get out of bed … I couldn't [take a] bus to other hospitals like Vancouver General,” he said.
Arnav Agrawal, a second-year student at UBC, did not experience any challenges accessing care after 8 p.m., but said he found the long wait times at the ER frustrating.
“The waiting was absurdly long. I'm not sure if it's because of their reduced hours or if the ER was short staffed … I had to go to the ER twice in two days,” he said.
“I think one of the biggest reasons why people are so fearful about going to the ER these days is because of the wait times.”
Fung also experienced long hours of waiting. “I spent seven hours waiting outside, and then 15 minutes waiting inside the ER, [and then] 15 minutes actually interacting with the doctor.”
Despite the reduced hours and long hours of waiting, Fung and Agrawal agreed that the services at the ER were satisfactory. “The only problem would be the wait time. Otherwise, the staff over there is really cooperative,” Agrawal said.
As it's uncertain when the UBC Hospital will go back to its usual hours, Fung noted, “I wished the VCH would give more transparent updates because when hours are changed, it affects the patients and affects the people who are ill.”