B.C. health minister calls pediatric ward closure at Kelowna hospital challenging

A ongoing pediatrician shortage in Kelowna, B.C., has prompted Interior Health (IH) to make a decision to temporarily shut down the entire pediatric ward at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH).

“Very scary,” said Kaitlyn Polmear, a Kelowna mother of two.

The specialist shortage has left the hospital without coverage on numerous occasions in recent months but it is now resulting in the 10-bed unit closure for at least six weeks.

“We’re hoping six weeks will be it but there is a possibility it will extend beyond the six weeks,” said Dr. Hussam Azzam, IH’s executive medical director of community and maternity.

“That’s very concerning,” said Helen Chong, another mother of two small children.

2:19 Limited pediatric service in Kelowna ER

According to IH, it has funding for 12 hospital pediatricians but is only operating with half of that as it struggles to recruit the specialists.

“We do appreciate that this is a concerning decision and that the public may be worried but we had no other option but to protect the other pediatrician physicians that we have at the moment,” Azzam said.

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With the existing pediatricians stretched to the limit, Azzam said the decision was also necessary to preserve coverage for critical services including the neonatal intensive care unit and high-risk deliveries.

Azzam reminded parents and guardians to continue relying on the emergency room when needed.

The ward closure means that a child needing to be admitted to hospital will have to be transferred to another hospital either within the IH region or beyond.

“I just want to make sure everybody is re-assured that your child will receive the care they need,” Azzam said. “Decisions will be made on a case by case basis.”

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B.C. health minister Josie Osborne acknowledged the situation at KGH as challenging but said the province is taking a number of actions to resolve the problem in Kelowna and across B.C.

“Opening a brand new medical school in Surrey, opening in September 2026 to its first intake of students, expanding the UBC medical school, adding residency seats, working to streamline the credentialing process for people coming from other provinces, from other countries,,” Osborne said.

Osborne also added that IH is also doing its part to address the shortage.

“Interior Health is working hard to address this, putting in place incentives for locums and for physicians, looking at additional changes to current compensation models, for example, and doing everything they can to attract new pediatricians to the site,” Osborne said.

Azzam said one additional pediatrician is expected to start working in July.

The pediatric ward will close on May 26.