Nicole Knowles
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder
The new patient tower and cardiac catheterization lab promised by Premier David Eby as part of his election campaign is still waiting in limbo for concept case approval before planning can move forward.
A concept case must be approved before any money can be spent by the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District (NRHD) to move the project into the planning phase. At a meeting between Island Health and the Ministry of infrastructure leadership in January there was no timeline from the province for when it might move forward with the approval.
On January 16, 2025, then Chair Ian Thorpe sent a letter to Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure, congratulating her on her appointment, and highlighting the patient tower and cardiac catheterization lab projects as critically important for healthcare in our region.
The letter reads, “The Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) is the designated tertiary hospital for the Central and North Island region, serving a population of approximately 460,000 residents north of the Malahat. It lacks many specialized services and was described in 2010 in the NRGH Master Site Development Plan as outdated, structurally unsafe and not positioned to provide safe, efficient and up-to-date patient care. A new patient tower would include modernized patient rooms, surgical spaces, labs and administrative areas while supporting more specialized programs. A new cardiac catheterization lab would improve timely diagnosis and reduce the need for Central and North Island patients to travel to Victoria or Vancouver for interventional cardiology procedures that may prevent further need for surgery.
“We are ready to work with the Province to find innovative solutions, including funding the business case for the new patient tower as part of our cost-sharing commitment.”
Janice Perrino, board chair of the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District told the Sounder, “The NRHD is committed to advancing the new patient tower and a cardiac catheterization lab at NRGH and is grateful for Premier Eby’s fall 2024 commitment to building these facilities.”
The government included an approval and cost-sharing for the new high acuity unit and Nanaimo Cancer Centre at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) and the new long-term care facility in the Ministry of Infrastructure 2025/2026- 2027/28 Service Plan. That was released on March 4 with the 2025 Provincial Budget.
Perrino said, “We are appreciative of the forward momentum on these projects.
“We did not anticipate seeing the patient tower and cardiac catheterization lab projects reflected in the Province’s “Budget 2025” at this stage in the provincial approval cycle. We stand ready to work with the Province as partners to find innovative solutions to move these projects forward, including paying for the business plan for the patient tower as part of our cost-sharing commitment.”
When asked about the time line for the approval for the concept case the Ministry of Infrastructure replied, “We know this is a priority for the community and look forward to working with the NRHD and Island Health on this important project over the course of this four-year mandate.”
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