Latest news with #shortage
CBC
an hour ago
- Health
- CBC
Expectant parents face uncertainty amid B.C.-wide maternity staffing shortages
Prince George residents Christine and Lauren Kennedy are excited to welcome their first child together, but are now one of the many couples from across British Columbia facing uncertainty as the province grapples with a shortage of obstetrical specialists. Lauren, who is 39 weeks pregnant with her first child, said she was frightened to learn that gaps in maternity department physician scheduling at the University Hospital of Northern B.C. (UHNBC) in Prince George could potentially force her to be sent hundreds of kilometres away for care. Prince George is the largest service centre in northern B.C. and often provides health-care services for the entire region. "You don't think in a community of this size that this is something that you would have to be dealing with, and on top of all the other things that come with being a new parent," said Lauren. "It is really challenging not being able to know what to expect." On July 21, Northern Health said that starting in August, it would be experiencing a shortage of obstetrical specialists and warned that gaps in coverage could lead to "high-risk" patients being transferred to other hospitals in the province. Prince George, Kamloops, Kelowna and Dawson Creek are among the many communities in the B.C. Interior facing maternity service disruptions. Despite recent efforts by the province to train and recruit more workers, Health Minister Josie Osborne says challenges to fill staff shortages remain. "I think there is a possibility that we will see that kind of strain on services elsewhere," Osborne said at a July 21 news conference. Christine and Lauren said they aren't sure exactly what to do and have been taking the situation day by day. "We don't want to lose sight that we are quite privileged and we can, you know, figure it out when it comes to this, but there will be a lot of families that wouldn't be able to as well," said Christina. "We both grew up here. This is our community. We want our daughter to be born here, and it's pretty sad to think that she might need to go elsewhere." Local doctors scrambling to find coverage It's not just parents who are worried about gaps in coverage, but the people who provide maternity care as well. Dr. Kasandra Joss, the acting practitioner-obstetric lead at UHNBC, says her colleagues have been panic-stricken, and she's been in emergency meetings with obstetrical providers to find coverage for the month of August. "It's a whole lot of confusion, and it's really bogged all of us down in our offices trying to explain to patients what this means," she said. Joss says one physician rearranged her holidays, and two physicians from other communities agreed to come and help provide coverage. While health authorities have issued assurances that everyone who needs care will receive it, Joss calls he situation "terrifying." She said these doctors have stepped in because they can't risk the health and safety of the communities they serve, but warned the existing medical workforce is being spread too thin. "It is absolutely the most stressful thing that any of us has been through," she said. "The wording of these things is like, only if you're 'a high-risk patient' [will you be sent away], and it just gives these false reassurances to patients. We can't guarantee that we're going to be able to deliver them safely in the current circumstances." She says high-risk pregnancies can include anyone who's never had a baby before, people with larger body sizes, women who are over the age of 35 or 40, people who've had a previous C-section, or if an ultrasound shows the baby being too big or too small. "The thing is, so-called low-risk women become high risk at the drop of a dime." Joss says the services affected by the lack of obstetricians are extensive and include epidurals, induction of labour, vacuums for stuck babies, severe tearing and placental removal. She says she's also extremely anxious about transferring women to other hospitals in emergency situations. "Anybody that's ever worked in the hospital and had to deal with the patient transfer network knows the system is also pretty overloaded, and it's hard to get people out in a timely fashion," she said. "And sometimes it's not safe to transfer a woman. If she's too far along in her labour, you can't risk putting that woman in the air because in the air makes everything worse medically." Recruitment challenges Health Minister Josie Osborne acknowledged the anxiety the disruptions and threat of disruptions are causing families, and said that no one in need of care would be turned away when a birth is imminent. "The health authorities are working very hard trying to find locums and assistance, helping to fill those gaps where that exists and ensure the services are there for people that we will continue to do that work," she said on July 21. Dr. Ronald Chapman, vice president of medicine for Northern Health, said they have been working on recruiting additional obstetricians at UHNBC while trying to cover gaps in services. "With any service interruption we do have, we are continually recruiting and looking at creative ways and means to fill any service gaps we do have, and that is fluid and that can change," he said. "I'm very pleased to say at least we've got some obstetricians in the pipeline, especially for Prince George, so we are actively working with some of those physicians to see if we can successfully recruit them to Prince George." Joss says her department is currently staffed by three full-time equivalent obstetricians, but they were only given approval by Northern Health to recruit up to eight positions after a 12-hour service disruption in May. "'I've been dying to, you know, inform the public about what's happening with our system just so that it gives patients time to kind of think about what it is they want to do." She says they've already been interviewing candidates, but have run into administrative challenges and delays with licensing international medical graduates through the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC. Joss says she's worried about coverage in September if they are not able to expedite licensing. Expectant parents Christine and Lauren say they are trying to handle the situation as best they can, but feel like they are navigating a system failure. "In pregnancy, I've been lucky. We've been lucky that it's been pretty uncomplicated, but it is really frustrating that this is something that we even have to deal with," said Lauren. "It's placing a lot of stress on a situation that is already so unknown and unpredictable."
The Independent
4 hours ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Pea shortage looms after earliest harvest in 14 years
Farmers fear there could be a shortage of British peas in supermarkets after the UK suffered its driest spring in more than a century. Long spells of sunshine in recent months, including three heatwaves, as well as record-breaking dry weather has prompted the earliest harvest of peas in Britain in 14 years. The National Farmers Union says the weather has caused vining pea growers across Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and East Yorkshire to suffer up to a 30 per cent drop in the number of peas picked and processed this year. Henry Moreton, a regional NFU chair in Lincolnshire, told the BBC: 'The east coast is your primary vining pea land. It's all good, well drained land that peas like to grow on. But it's not looking good at the moment. I've never known the viners go out so early. 'The British peas will be in short supply this year but, unless the rain does something really amazing or unless there's a really good end to the season, we are going to look at shortages.' One pea grower in Louth said they started their harvest this year in early June, a fortnight or so before the usual start of the season. The crops are said to be so stressed by the dry weather that the number of peas in a pod has dropped by more than half in some cases. The drought has meant that the peas are maturing at a faster rate than the growers are able to harvest. This means some of the produce has shrivelled up and died by the time the growers go to pick it. The remainder of the produce is proving to be very sweet, according to a Birds Eye quality manager, Michelle Lawrie. The Met Office says England suffered its driest spring in more than a century this year followed by the warmest June ever recorded.
CBC
2 days ago
- Health
- CBC
There's a painkiller shortage in Canada. Here's what to know
Social Sharing There is a shortage of some commonly-prescribed painkillers in Canada, as companies that supply them deal with manufacturing disruptions and increased demand, according to a notice published on Health Canada's website. The medications in question are acetaminophen with codeine (sometimes known as Tylenol 3) and acetaminophen with oxycodone (sometimes sold under the brand name Percocet). As a result of the shortage, Health Canada's notice said these drugs have become harder to get and "may not always be available." Here's what you need to know. Manufacturing troubles cause ripple effects Health Canada's notice says the shortage of acetaminophen with codeine is linked to manufacturing disruptions reported by Teva Canada Limited, resulting in increased demand and shortages reported by Apotex Inc and Laboratoire Riva Inc, the other companies that also market the drug in Canada. Teva's manufacturing problems are also affecting its supply of acetaminophen with oxycodone, leading to an increased demand other companies can't make up for. In a statement, Teva said the problem is "due to a short delay in our supply chain relating to the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) shipment from our supplier." The company says it "expects to be able to accelerate production of an initial supply for early August 2025" and for full supply to be restored in Canada by September. A spokesperson for Health Canada, Mark Johnson, said in a statement that the agency is "working closely with manufacturers, health-care providers and provinces and territories to monitor the situation and explore options to increase access." "You never want to see a shortage, period. But you definitely don't want to see it with something that's this common," said Mina Tadrous, associate professor with the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto. Tadrous says these drugs are prescribed for both acute pain — following a surgery or dental procedure for example — and for chronic pain, for patients who need them on a long-term basis. He says supply-chain problems for one drug company can affect supply across Canada. "We see a domino effect. One drug goes on shortage, everyone switches to another generic," he said. "That trickles through." 'Don't panic,' pharmacists say While the shortage can complicate things for patients and pharmacists, the Canadian Pharmacists Association says pharmacists are used to managing drug shortages and helping patients through them. "The good news is, there are alternatives available," said Sadaf Faisal, a pharmacist and senior director of professional affairs at the Canadian Pharmacists Association. Faisal said the association is in close contact with Health Canada and is monitoring the situation closely. In the meantime, her advice to patients is: "Don't panic. Talk to your health-care providers, go to your pharmacist. They have resources available to them that provide the safer alternative." She also advises patients to try not to wait until they are almost out of their medications to renew prescriptions. What pharmacists are doing The association has published a clinical resource for pharmacists as they navigate the shortage. It provides guidance on suitable alternative medications, switching strategies and how to best monitor changes. Faisal says pharmacists can work with patients to fine-tune suitable alternatives according to their conditions, medications and medical histories, "It's based on the situation," she said. "It's not a one-size fits all approach." Tadrous says patients will still be treated and get the drugs they need, but notes drug shortages can create extra work for pharmacies and physicians. "It's still kind of burdensome for an already stretched system," he said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Tanks of water shipped to Scottish island up to five times a week amid low reserves
TANKS of treated water are being shipped to a Scottish island up to five times a week to combat low reserve levels. Scottish Water is having to ship tanks of water to Skerries, Shetland, after a prolonged period of minimal rainfall has left a reservoir and storage tank levels low. According to Shetland News, Scottish Water is having to send boats with treated water from Whalsay to the area up to five times a week to maintain a supply for residents on the island. The firm said it would continue to ship water to the island for the 'foreseeable future,' adding that it would help meet the demands of the people in Skerries while allowing the reservoir and storage levels to recover. READ MORE: Man arrested as easyJet plane met by police at Scottish airport 'We will continue to monitor the situation and support the community,' Scottish Water said. 'At this time, there are no other water supplies in Shetland on our risk register.' The water shortage comes after more than 10,000 islanders have been left without internet and phone access due to a major outage. Scots living in [[Shetland]] and Orkney, along with people in the Faroe Islands, have been facing disruption to their broadband services due to a damaged subsea cable since Saturday morning. According to reports, residents on the islands are still facing an outage after Openreach confirmed that some of its customers were impacted after a subsea cable from Orkney to Banff was damaged. It has been reported that the Shefa-2 cable, which is part of the cables owned by Faroese Telecom, has been affected and that engineers are working on the issue. Anyone who is experiencing any issues have been urged to report them to their service provider for further investigation. It has been reported that 999 calls are not impacted. An Openreach spokesperson said: 'We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience, the damage to a subsea cable from Orkney to Banff, has caused from Saturday morning. 'Customers can still make landline calls, and whilst we're constantly assessing customer impact, we believe up to 10,000 customers in Faroe, Shetland, and Orkney islands could have disruption to their broadband services. 'We're working on repairs as soon as we can and will update further once we can confirm our specific work and timeline. Anyone experiencing any issues should report it to their service provider for further investigation as usual.'
CBC
7 days ago
- Business
- CBC
WATCH — Worried about a matcha shortage? Maybe you don't have to be
Authentic Japanese matcha is a small industry with lots of demand It feels like matcha is everywhere. The powdered green tea, a traditional Japanese drink, is filling up our feeds. On TikTok, 2.4 million videos have been posted under the hashtag 'matcha.' Offline, coffee chain Starbucks just announced a new strawberry matcha frappuccino this month. And it's not just showing up in drinks — stores are selling everything from matcha ice cream to matcha skincare products. But recent headlines have been warning about a shortage of matcha. Could we run out of the green stuff? While demand for the tea powder is booming, your local coffee shop likely won't be running out any time soon, according to an expert we spoke to. That's because other countries outside of Japan, like China and Vietnam, are trying to grow more matcha to meet the demand. But until they catch up, don't be surprised if you have to pay more for your matcha latte. Click play to learn more about the matcha madness ⬇️⬇️⬇️ What's causing the shortage? There are many reasons why we're seeing a shortage of traditional, Japanese matcha. For one, there is a limited supply and it takes a long time to grow and harvest more. It takes at least five years for a tea plant to be ready for plucking. A tea bush grows after the harvesting season at a tea plantation in Uji, Japan. It typically takes five to eight years for a tea bush to be ready to pick from. (Image credit: Michele Pek/Reuters) Another possible reason? Less demand for matcha from Japanese residents in recent years had local farmers producing less of it. Add in a recent tourism boom in Japan, plus social media's trending influence, and you have a recipe for a shortage: Too much demand with too little tea available. Japanese matcha versus Chinese matcha While Japan might not be able to keep up with the booming demand for matcha, other countries, like China, are trying to step up. But a quick search on Google shows there's heated debate about whether Chinese matcha can measure up to the traditional tea from Japan. Han Le, who is a certified tea master at the Global Japanese Tea Association, says he can easily spot and taste the difference between Chinese and Japanese matcha. Matcha tea comes in the form of a green powder that can be added to drinks, baked goods and even skincare products. (Image credit: Damian Dovarganes/The Associated Press) While purists appreciate the tradition, process and flavour of Japanese matcha, others note that Chinese matcha is much more accessible and inexpensive. A lot of it comes down to cost, availability and, of course, personal preference. Le says prices for traditional Japanese matcha have gone up 40 per cent due to demand. That gives coffee shops two options if they want to keep making money: charge more for matcha products, or switch to a cheaper matcha. 'So as a business, are you willing to pay 40 per cent more and then sell everything at a higher price [to your] retail customer, or you're gonna start to outsource all your stuff to China and maintain the cost?' Le said.
