ER at South Okanagan General Hospital to temporarily close just hours after reopening

It didn’t take long for the emergency department at South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver, B.C. to temporarily shut down again.

After it was announced by Interior Health that the emergency department would be closed on Saturday, from 6 p.m. until Sunday at 8 a.m., the health agency sent out a release stating the ER would also be unavailable from 6 p.m. Sunday until 6 p.m. on Monday.

The shutdown is a result of “unexpected, limited physician availability.” Those in need of care are being advised to access care at Penticton Regional Hospital, which is about a 37-minute drive.

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“People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e., chest pains, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding) should always call 911 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility,” Interior Health said in a statement.

The hospital’s emergency department has undergone several temporary closures due to lack of staffing during the past year, including one on Sept. 1-2, 4-5 and most recently, the 9-10. The emergency department is slated to be fully operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

At this time, all other inpatient services will continue as normal at South Okanagan General Hospital.