Charlotte County Hospital no longer does surgeries that require general anesthesia

One day after Horizon Health Network assured residents of St. Stephen the "services at Charlotte County Hospital will continue as usual," New Brunswick's health minister admitted that is not entirely the case.

On Friday, Horizon Health Network said in a news release that "emergency department, in-patient services, dialysis, operating rooms everything currently in place will continue to operate as it does today."

News release not clear

On Saturday, Victor Boudreau said the hospitalwill continue with services as they are right now, which meanssurgeries requiring general anesthesia essentially surgeries where the patient is "put to sleep" will not be performed at the hospital.

The health network announced an end to those surgeriesin July.

Boudreausaid the news release "could've been a little clearer" and addressed the elimination of surgeries requiring general anesthesia.

Most surgeries will continue

Those surgeriesrepresentabout 14 per cent of what was done in the operating room at the hospital, Boudreau said.

"So, essentially, 86 per cent of what was done will continue to be done under local anaesthetic and those types of things," he said.

It is not clear whether surgeries requiring local anaesthetic will continue to be done in the hospital's operating room, or whether they'll be done at clinics elsewhere.

• No change in service at Charlotte County Hospital

• N.B. premier wants surgery program at Charlotte County Hospital kept open

Boudreau said the lone surgeon at the hospital doesn't want to perform any more surgeries requiring general anesthesia. He said the government is open to hiring more doctors, but it's not thatsimple.

"It's a constant struggle to try to recruit sufficient doctors and surgeons and specialists," he said.

Locals have been speaking out against Horizon Health Network's July decision to close the operating room at the Charlotte County Hospital because of the low volume of surgeries.

Hospital to remain open

He did reiterate "there is no intention to close the Charlotte County Hospital," and said he tried to deliver that message to the Concerned Citizens of Charlotte County group at a meeting on Friday.

The group heldanother meeting on Saturday with some local MLAs, but Boudreau was not there.

Before the meeting, St. Stephen resident Bob Biddle said he remains skeptical the hospital or the OR will remain open.

"I'll believe it when I see it," he said. "Because I think we've been told so many stories we have to wait and see what does happen with the hospital."