BC’s new Health Minister has Royal Columbian Hospital on her priority list.
Margaret MacDiarmid was asked if any progress is being made on reducing wait times, and patient backlogs, not to mention treatment at the New Westminster hospital.
“You know I haven’t been there recently but I was speaking with the deputy minister just yesterday who has had a chance to go to Royal Columbian and said that great progress has been made and so on my list is to there relatively soon for a visit.”
The overcrowding at Royal Columbian Hospital has been so severe on occasion the buildings Tim Hortons has been pressed into service to house patients.
In June then Health Minister Mike DeJong announced the province would spend $ 750 million to expand the facility.
Doctor Sheldon Glazer agrees things are improving at Royal Columbian.
Glazer says patients are being treated more quickly and in a much safer environment.
But he adds more needs to be done.
“There aren’t quite enough inpatient acute care beds for the population that it serves.”
Glazer says the ultimate solution would be getting shovels into the ground on a new facility.
“What we really need of course is new hospitals built in that area with more beds and that is something that is planned for Royal Columbian but I am waiting to see a budget and a definite timeline.”
When asked if he thought the hospital’s Tim Hortons will ever be used again to house patients Glazer said there are no guarantees.
“We are trying to do the best we can with the situations that we are dealing with first and foremost in the minds of all of us working in emergency at Royal Columbian is the welfare of our patients we will do what is necessary at the time when we see a crisis or an overloaded situation we will do what is necessary to try and ensure the safety of our patients.”
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