Hallway health care persists at Kelowna General Hospital as hospital floors sit empty - BERITAJA

Kelowna, B.C., resident Nanci Macdonald has recovered from what was a superior kidney-related condition, saying she feels grateful for the attraction she received astatine Kelowna General Hospital (KGH).

“I was treated highly well,” Maqcdonald said. “I’m live coming because of the attraction of KGH staff.”

Macdonald had been successful and retired of KGH for the past 2 years.

While she’s afloat of praise for doctors and nurses, she’s not impressed about being treated successful the hallway.

“It was scary astatine times. Every codification achromatic would beryllium correct successful beforehand of my bed, moving down the hallway. I would get that aggregate times a day, ” Macdonald said.

“There was nary privacy, nary aesculapian privateness arsenic acold arsenic being capable to talk to a expert about your condition. Everybody heard it.”

Concerns about alleged ‘hallway wellness care’ person been expressed for years, but the rumor was reignited Tuesday during mobility play successful the legislature.

Conservative MLA for Kelowna-Mission Gavin Dew asked why the problem persists while 2 infirmary floors proceed sitting empty.

“Thirteen years aft Kelowna General Hospital Centennial Tower was opened, why is much than 50 beds’ worthy of description abstraction connected the 5th and sixth floors sitting quiet and unfinished down fastener and key,” Dew said.

Minister of Infrastructure Bowinn Ma acknowledged location is much activity to do but did not specifically speak to the issues astatine KGH.

“We cognize location is much to do and that’s why Budget 2026 continues to put successful much awesome infirmary projects,” Ma said.

According to Dew, location are up to 50 patients successful hallways astatine KGH during immoderate fixed time

“What’s shocking is that unofficial hallway beds person go charismatic beds,” Dew said. “Even though these beds person go a imperishable fixture, they’re not safe, they’re not equipped to supply due monitoring, they’re not private, they’re not dignified.”

Dew added that aft much than a decade, the nationalist deserves to cognize if and erstwhile those 2 floors will open.

“The further abstraction that was near connected the 5th and sixth floors erstwhile the building was completed was intended to beryllium surge abstraction arsenic the needs of the infirmary grew,” Dew said.

“Our organization has grown substantially successful the past 13 years.”

Neither Interior Health nor the state provided immoderate timelines connected the further abstraction opening up aliases why it is sitting unused.

In an email to BERITAJA Wednesday, Ma stated, “We admit location are on-going concerns pinch diligent abstraction astatine Kelowna General Hospital.”

The curate added, “Interior Health regularly assesses location healthcare needs – we will proceed to activity pinch them to reside infrastructure priorities and make judge they are fresh to support immoderate description pinch the required staffing, instrumentality and different operational needs.”

But galore reason that description can’t hold overmuch longer.

“Instead of increasing into the abstraction that was built to accommodate the needs of a increasing population, we’re alternatively leaving group to languish successful hallways,” Dew said.