Surrey-White Rock MLA Trevor Halford is sounding the alarm about understaffing at Surrey Memorial Hospital over the May long weekend.

In the provincial legislature Wednesday (May 1), BC United鈥檚 Halford brought up the issue of the hospital鈥檚 Code Blue team, telling the gathered politicians that frontline workers at the hospital 鈥渉ave a dire warning鈥� about understaffing.

鈥淭he Code Blue team, critical for lifesaving interventions, is less than two weeks away from having no coverage.鈥�

鈥淲ithout these experts, a heart attack on a hospital ward, it means a death sentence. Why has the premier allowed it to come to this?鈥� Halford said.

Code Blue teams respond to patients who require resuscitation or immediate attention, often as a result of cardiac or respiratory arrest.

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Responding to Halford, Health Minister Adrian Dix noted hospitals such as SMH have Code Blue protocols in place, 鈥渆specially for high-volume periods like long weekends.鈥�

鈥淎t Surrey Memorial, we have a medical emergency team contracted 鈥� contracted 鈥� to provide 13,140 service hours of Code Blue coverage to ensure patients are cared for during cardiac emergencies, for example,鈥� Dix said.

Dix emphasizes that Code Blue coverage, under the contract, 鈥渋s provided 24 hours daily, 365 days per year 鈥� 63 physicians are participating in that contract.鈥�

Halford noted the SMH hospital emergency room is 鈥渙ne of the busiest, if not the busiest, emergency rooms in Canada.鈥�

鈥淭he fact is we are seeing critical shortages, and to highlight the fact we could have shortages when we have code blues, that is beyond alarming. That could end up in catastrophic tragedy,鈥� Halford said Thursday (May 2).

鈥淚t鈥檚 not for lack of effort by the health-care workers 鈥� they鈥檝e been doing their best. They鈥檝e been sounding the alarm bells and those concerns are not being addressed by minister of health 鈥� that鈥檚 evident by the wait times we see, and the frustration we see from nurses and doctors. We hear that every day in my office鈥� I have doctors and nurses reach out to me quite often saying the current system is broken.鈥�

Dix maintained the provincial NDP government works proactively when issues arise around staffing with the region鈥檚 physicians.

鈥淚 talked to Dr. Victoria Lee, an outstanding physician who leads the Fraser Health Authority,鈥� he said Wednesday.

鈥淪he assures me that there will not be an issue on Victoria Day long weekend, or any other time, with Code Blue protocols.鈥�

Black Press Media has reached out to Fraser Health for more detail.