'Unexpected limited physician availability' closes emergency room in B.C. Interior

South Okanagan General Hospital is seen in this image from the Interior Health website. (interiorhealth.ca)

A hospital in the B.C. Interior was forced to close its emergency department because of a lack of staff Saturday, according to the local health authority.

South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver is normally open 24 hours a day, but Interior Health announced late Saturday afternoon that the facility's emergency department would close at 10 p.m. due to "unexpected limited physician availability."

The emergency room will reopen at 8 a.m. Sunday, the health authority said, adding that those seeking emergency care can access it at Penticton Regional Hospital overnight.

Interior Health said other inpatient services at South Okanagan General Hospital will continue as normal during the closure.

"People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e., chest pains, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding) should always call 911 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility," Interior Health said in a statement.

People who are unsure if an emergency room visit is needed can call HealthLink BC at 811 or visit healthlinkbc.ca, the health authority said.

Staffing-related ER closures in the B.C. Interior have been less frequent in 2023, so far, than they were last year, but recruitment and retention of personnel remains a major challenge for the health-care system across the province.

In February, a presentation to Interior Health showed 13.7 per cent of health-care positions unfilled, up from the 5.1 per cent vacancy rate seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Later that month, the provincial government announced plans to spend $1 billion over three years on recruiting and retaining new health-care workers as part of the latest B.C. budget.