Embattled Interior Health president Susan Brown, facing criticism for the shutdown of the pediatric unit at Kelowna General Hospital, has been replaced ahead of her scheduled retirement at year鈥檚 end.听
She has 鈥渃oncluded her tenure as president and chief executive officer鈥, Interior Health said in a statement Friday morning. The release did not say if Brown left the position on her own or was asked to depart.听
Brown has been replaced on an interim basis by Sylvia Weir, the chief financial officer of Interior Health.听
As well, a 鈥渘eutral, third-party facilitator鈥 will be appointed as soon as possible to make recommendations to the IH board of directors on how to improve pediatric services at KGH, Interior Health says.听
But there is no current date for when the 10-bed pediatric unit, temporarily shut in late May, will re-open. Initially, IH said the target for re-opening was early July but now the date is given only as 鈥渁s soon as possible鈥.听
Children who are taken to KGH, and who are assessed in the emergency room as requiring hospitalization, are being sent to other hospitals around B.C.
The extraordinary closure, prompted by a shortage of pediatricians willing to work at the hospital, has stoked considerable public anger and led to calls from the Opposition BC Conservatives for Brown to be fired.听
There are pediatricians in Kelowna who choose not to work at the hospital. The release from Interior Health says the organization is reaching out to them to 鈥渞ebuild trust, listen to concerns, and work closely together with the goal of strengthening partnerships.鈥
Gavin Dew, the BC Conservative's MLA for Kelowna-Mission, said of Brown鈥檚 departure: 鈥淭his is an overdue step in the right direction.
鈥淲hat surprises me is that it took so long to take this step,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 clear that finally, weeks into this conversation, the minister of health is listening to what we鈥檝e been saying for a month.听
鈥淭hey are literally echoing our message, when you look at the language they鈥檝e used in the release, when they talk about 鈥榬ebuilding relationships鈥, 鈥榬ebuilding trust鈥, and 鈥榣istening to concerns鈥,鈥 Dew said.听
鈥淚鈥檓 seeing the right language,鈥 Dew said. 鈥淏ut what remains to be seen is what happens when the rubber hits the road and whether they鈥檙e able to complete this organizational turnaround.鈥
In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, Brown was paid a salary of $403,817 and had expenses of $36,763.
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