South Okanagan General Hospital again faces emergency room closures on Sunday and Monday due to a shortage of physicians to provide coverage. (Lyonel Doherty photo)
UPDATE: Interior Health announced Friday afternoon that South Okanagan General Hospital emergency will remain open this weekend after all due to successful efforts to fill previously vacant shifts for physician coverage.
Interior Health is advising residents that South Okanagan General Hospital’s emergency room (ER) will close temporarily on Sunday and Monday, June 4-5 due to a lack of coverage by physicians.
The ER will close on June 4 at 8 am and won’t reopen until the next day at 8 am.
The ER will close on June 5 at 6 pm and reopen the next day at 8 am.
The ER will remain open outside of these hours. Regular service will resume on Tuesday, June 6 at 8 am.
Interior Health says it regrets this interruption, and says residents should call 9-1-1 in case of an emergency during the closure. If people require emergency care, they should visit the emergency department at Penticton Regional Hospital.
“Interior Health has been working closely with our physician group to secure coverage for these days, but so far have been unsuccessful,” the agency said in a news release.
“We will continue to seek physician coverage for these dates, and if we do secure coverage, we will advise the community via a further public notice.”
Emergency room coverage at SOGH has been a concern for many since the department faced temporary closures during the past year-and-a-half.
Oliver Town council, with the support of the Town of Osoyoos, recently wrote a letter to Interior Health expressing these concerns, in addition to concerns about staffing in acute care.
Doctor Peter Entwistle recently resigned as chief of staff to bring these issues to the forefront, running as an independent candidate in the May 9 election.
LYONEL DOHERTY
Special to the Times
