South Okanagan General Hospital to undergo another emergency department closure

The emergency department at South Okanagan General Hospital will undergo yet another temporary closure this year.

Interior Health says the closure at Oliver, B.C.’s, only hospital will begin Friday night, Feb. 16, from 8 p.m., and end Saturday morning, Feb. 17, at 5 a.m.

The health agency, which calls it a “service interruption,” says the closure is due to limited physician availability.

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“All other inpatient services will continue as normal at South Okanagan General Hospital,” said Interior Health. “Patients can access care at Penticton Regional Hospital during this time.”

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

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However, this will be the fourth closure of 2024. The emergency department was also closed for several hours on Jan. 12-13, Jan. 20-21, and Jan. 27.

And in 2023, the emergency department closed nine times in November and December.

“It’s frustrating to continue to hear about these closures and get these closures,” Oliver’s mayor, Martin Johansen, told Global News in December.

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