Eby’s $30M hospital expansion pledge draws questions over timing

With the provincial election just days away, BC NDP Leader David Eby is promising $30 million to finish the unused sixth floor at Kelowna General Hospital.

However, it’s an announcement drawing criticism from those who say the expansion has been needed for years.

“As far as I can tell, the only thing that has changed is that there’s an election happening now,” said Gavin Dew, the Conservative Candidate for Kelowna-Mission.  “We’ve been pushing for this for years, and David Eby has not moved an inch.”

Eby announced the funding commitment during a campaign stop in Kelowna, saying the money would go toward building out the sixth-floor inpatient unit and expanding the hospital’s capacity.

“Our government is committed to put $30 million into Kelowna General Hospital to build out the sixth-floor inpatient unit for the people of Kelowna,” Eby said while on a campaign stop in Kelowna Tuesday.

“This isn’t just a plan on paper. This is something that’s actually going to be delivered,” Eby said.

The sixth floor is one of two floors in the hospital’s Centennial Tower that have remained unfinished since the building opened in 2012.

The unused space has long been a point of contention as patients continue to be treated in hallway beds.

Eby said planning for the expansion began before the election and argued the BC Conservatives have not committed funding to the project in their platform.

“They have no money set aside to do this, and we do, so it’s going to get done,” Eby said.

Dew said a Conservative government would also move to open the unused space, but would first need to review Interior Health’s capital planning.

“Conservatives will move forward with getting to 33,000 square feet of unused space open at Kelowna General Hospital,” Dew said. “We’re going to have to get in there and get a clear understanding of what’s actually happening inside Interior Health in terms of capital planning.”

While expanding the hospital’s physical capacity is one part of the equation, staffing the additional space is another challenge amid ongoing health-care workforce pressures.

Eby said hospital staff need the space to care for patients, although further recruitment will be necessary as Kelowna’s population grows and new services are added.

“The good news is that the staff are at the hospital, and they need the space for the patients,” Eby said. “There will be additional recruitment that’s required, of course, as the population of Kelowna grows and we add new services.”