Hospital emergency department in Oliver to undergo another temporary closure

The emergency department at South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver will again undergo a temporary closure this weekend.

On Saturday, Interior Health announced that the emergency services will be unavailable from Saturday at 6 p.m. to Sunday at 1 p.m.

The health agency listed limited physician availability as to why the emergency department won’t be open. The emergency department in Oliver is normally open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“During this time, all other inpatient services will continue as normal at South Okanagan General Hospital,” said Interior Health.

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The nearest emergency department is roughly 40 minutes away in Penticton.

“People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care should always call 911 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility,” said Interior Health

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Saturday’s announcement is the latest in a string of overnight closures at the hospital due to limited staffing.

The emergency department was also closed on Wednesday morning to Thursday, and then from Friday morning to Saturday.

It was also closed most of Tuesday, and most of last weekend, from Saturday to Monday evening, though it was open for a few hours on Sunday.

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