Emergency department at hospital in Oliver to undergo another temporary closure

The emergency department at South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver, B.C., will once again undergo an overnight closure due to staffing issues.

Citing limited physician availability, Interior Health announced on Saturday that emergency services will be unavailable from Saturday evening at 6 p.m. to Sunday at 8 a.m.

“Patients can access care at Penticton Regional Hospital during this time,” said Interior Health, adding that all other inpatient services will continue as normal at the hospital.

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The emergency department in Oliver is normally open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The hospital has undergone several emergency department closures this year, including one this week when services were unavailable Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

On Friday, Interior Health announced that walk-in services would not be available at the South Similkameen Health Centre in Keremeos on Saturday, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., due to limited nursing availability.

The health centre is normally open Monday to Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Also, IH said the emergency department at the Slocan Community Health Centre in New Denver would be closed on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., due to limited staffing availability.

The emergency department in New Denver is normally open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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