Terranova and Labrador’s Minister of Health said he did not like the focus, but he hopes that an agreement will be “imminent” with a team of doctors who threatened a massive resignation at the Mercy St. Clare hospital in St. John’s.
Krista Lynn Howell told journalists on Friday afternoon that his department has been working with the Provincial Health Authority and the Medical Association to find a solution to problems with internal medicine in the second largest hospital in the city.
The five internists warned about an “imminent crisis” after the loss of the medical residence program in the hospital, eliminating valuable coverage for patient care 24/7.
“I can disagree with the tactics that were deployed to take us to this point today,” Howell said.
“But nobody has collapsed and gone home. So we believe we are in a place at this time where a resolution is imminent and we are sure that the plan will solve this problem.”
Howell did not give details, but postponed to Terranova and Labrador Health Services (NLHS) and the Medical Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (NLMA).
In a brief comment, Kyle Rees, a lawyer held by the five doctors, said he is encouraged.
“I know that the parties are working on it, and that is a positive development. It is something that must be taken seriously, and it seems that this is happening.”
Doctors threatened the resignation before
The news of the resignation warning caused a frenzy on Friday, but it was not the first time that the team of doctors threatened to get away.
CBC Research has obtained a letter dated January 1, 2024, in which the Internal Medicine team of St. Clare’s wrote to the office of the Prime Minister and threatened to retain the services within 20 days.
They cited reasons such as “administrative load, limited resources and an overwhelming burden of the patient”, as well as the “significantly lower” compensation than the national average.
“We understand that our decision to withdraw services can cause inconveniences and interruptions for both NL health services and our patients,” they wrote at that time.
“However, we firmly believe that this step is necessary to get attention to the urgent need for change.”
The letter did not result in a labor action, which is prohibited by virtue of its collective agreement, but three of the five signatories of the letter no longer work in St. Clare’s.
Barry Petten, the progressive critic of conservative health, said he was not surprised by the new resignation letter sent Monday.
He said he has had contact with St. Clare’s internists who returned to the first threat of resignation last year.
Petten said he knows that doctors approached the last three ministers of health, including Prime Minister John Hogan.
“And yet, without action,” he said. “This is not something new. Eighteen months later, there is no action.”
Howell acknowledged that the problem has been ongoing, but said the conversations have been happening for several months.
She said a plan to address her concerns was underway before they told them that the residence program was coming to an end, creating a new problem to overcome.
Residence program eliminated due to lack of supervision, says Mun
In a statement on Friday, Memorial University said he made the decision to reduce the residence program “in the best interest of the training and well -being of our residents.”
The statement said that the University Medicine School had concerns about “lack of adequate support and appropriate supervision” for residents, which led to the entire program to end.
Spokesman Chad Pelley said some modifications were made when the concerns were raised, but they were not enough to satisfy national standards during a accreditation review last November.
At the beginning of 2025 there was a formal notice in early 2025, describing the problems that should be solved.
The Internal Medicine Residence in St. Clare’s will come to an end on July 1.
Meanwhile, Howell said the residence program is important for the hospital, and hopes to see it restored in the future.
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