More beds and doctors are coming to Island communities in the New Year, after a challenging 2023 for health care.
In a year-end letter, Leah Hollins, chair of Island Health’s board of directors, says the health authority is still dealing with ripple effects from the pandemic. Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals are still not back to full surgical capacity, and hospitals up to Port Hardy are struggling with retaining and recruiting doctors.
However, there’s some good news for the new year.
North Island doctors opened their own community health clinic this fall. Island Health will work with them in the New Year to reduce doctor shortages and hospital closures, and has also added a mobile CT scanner to service North Island communities.
Next year Island Health will build more than 750 long-term care homes for seniors in Campbell River, Lantzville and Colwood. The Campbell River project will create 153 new beds at a cost of around $1 million per bed.
An expanded Nanaimo Intensive Care Unit began accepting patients, and next year construction of the new Cowichan District Hospital will continue, as well as planning for the new Nanaimo BC Cancer centre.
Island Health has also added new payment models and increased Primary Care Network investments to attract more physicians to B.C. and help attach patients who are not fully supported today.
