Due to a shortage of physician assistants, the emergency department of the Isala hospital in Meppel will close its doors at night for the next two months. The hospital hopes to be able to fully reopen in April.
The physician assistants are medical doctors who work in the emergency department (ED). “Unfortunately, we see that the number of available physician assistants is currently low nationwide, so we are facing a shortage of doctors,” says Ina Kuper of the Board of Directors of Isala. “We have therefore chosen to organize emergency care differently at night, when there are few patients.”
The Emergency Department will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. for the next two months. “We realize that it is annoying for residents around Meppel that they have to go to another hospital for emergency care at night in February and March. In most cases, that will be Isala Zwolle,” says Kuper.
“We assume that this adjustment of opening hours is temporary. We are working hard to be able to offer emergency care in Meppel again at night as soon as possible,” said the board member.