For the third weekend in a row, Interior Health says the Oliver hospital’s emergency room will close because of a doctor shortage.
The South Okanagan General Hospital’s emergency department is set to close for 19 hours, from 6 p.m. on Friday, March 1, to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 2.
Patients can access care at the Penticton Regional Hospital during this time, IH said.
This weekend’s closure at the Oliver hospital marks the seventh of its kind in 2024, and comes after a slew of service interruptions through fall 2023.
It also follows a $7.5 million commitment from the B.C. government to help stabilize physician emergency-room coverage in hospitals in Merritt, Oliver and Salmon Arm. That pledge was made in October 2023.
All other hospital services will continue as normal at Oliver’s hospital during this weekend’s closure.
People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care should call 911 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility, IH said.
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