Oliver and area residents won’t have emergency department access at South Okanagan General Hospital on Tuesday morning due to limited physician availability.
Emergency services will be unavailable from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and during that time patients can access care at Penticton Regional Hospital.
All other inpatient services will continue as normal at South Okanagan General Hospital.
People in the community who are facing a life-threatening issue, such as chest pains, difficulty breathing, or severe bleeding, should call 911 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility.
The emergency department in Oliver is normally open 24/7, though closures of this kind have become commonplace.
Last month, the province announced a proposal for bylaw changes that would allow physician assistants to work in emergency rooms across the province.
“The Ministry of Health has been working with the College of Physicians and Surgeons to introduce physician assistants into B.C.’s emergency departments,” said B.C.’s Minister of Health Adrian Dix in a statement.
“This will support healthcare workers to provide services to patients and help patients access the services they need as we continue to build out team-based care across the healthcare system.”
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