Medical lab in northern Cape Breton earns reprieve

There's been a reprieve for the lab at Buchanan Memorial Hospital in Neils Harbour.

The Nova Scotia Health Authority had planned to eliminate staffing at the hospital's lab this spring, after the only technologist relocates.

Officials said the hospital would instead be equipped with machines that can analyze blood samples on site, known as point-of-care testing.

'Unique challenges'

But citing "unique challenges that come with that location", the health authority has announced it will continue to staff the lab, and will recruit a new medical lab technologist.

"We have heard the concerns of the folks north of Cape Smokey, and that includes the physicians and staff who work at Buchanan Memorial," said Shauna Thompson, the senior director of pathology and laboratory medicine with the NSHA.

Some blood samples cannot be analyzed by point-of-care testing, and would still have to be sent to other hospitals.

The closest major hospital is the Cape Breton Regional in Sydney, roughly a two-and-a-half hour drive from Neils Harbour.

In winter, there are frequent delays and closures along that route, given the terrain and harsh climate.

"Road closures for them doesn't necessarily mean hours, it can be up to days," said Thompson. "So that was a particular challenge that we had to take into consideration."

Medical staff at the hospital expressed relief at the decision.

"It makes a big difference both in terms of our ability to maintain an acceptable standard, but also to attract new physicians," said Dr. Ken Murray, a family doctor in Neils Harbour.

Thompson said point-of-care testing will still be installed at Buchanan Memorial, to be used when the lab technologist is not available.

"So outside of the regular scheduled hours, if they're sick or on leave or on vacation, we'll still have point-of-care available on the site and the nursing staff will be trained to operate that competently."

Thompson said the job will be posted as quickly as possible, although she acknowledged it may be a challenge to fill the position.

She said there is a shortage of medical lab technologists both in Nova Scotia and across the country, but the NSHA has had "some success" in recruiting technologists from other provinces.