Richmond Hospital - and others within Vancouver Coastal - will be affected by the job action of anesthesiologists.
Health authorities sent letters to 3,200 B.C. patients booked for elective surgery in the next few weeks, warning them that their cases may be cancelled.
The letters were sent after protesting anesthesiologists announced Wednesday that as of next week, they'll only perform about half their usual work.
Dr. Jeff Rains, president of the B.C. Anesthesiologists' Society, said the slowdown will be comparable to what happens during summer months.
"We've been warning for the past three months that service reductions were coming April 2, but the health authorities have continued to book patients for surgeries. They have intentionally put patients into this dispute and patients will not find out their surgeries are cancelled until the day of the operation, after they have already booked off work, arranged child care, and fasted overnight," Rains added.
