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PEDIATRIC HEALTH CARE

Nine patients transferred to RIH in Kamloops during height of Kelowna pediatric unit closure

Jul 11, 2025 | 4:15 PM

KAMLOOPS — The disruption in pediatric care at Kelowna’s hospital is expected to improve as of this week, according to Interior Health. But some patients may still need to be moved to other area hospitals, including Kamloops.

Kelowna’s pediatric unit was shut down in May because the hospital didn’t have enough pediatricians to safely keep the department open.

But as of this week, Interior Health says Kelowna General Hospital can resume admitting patients to the pediatric unit during daytime hours. Elective pediatric surgeries can also begin again, along with diagnostic procedures that need sedation.

“In the last bit what’s happened is we’ve had locums pick up, both pediatricians in the community who locum and have been providing locum services throughout this time. As well as locums from outside of the region who are coming to help,” explains Mark Masterson, Interior Health’s vice president of medicine, “We’ve also had four signed offer letters for pediatricians who are going to be supporting Kelowna General Hospital and two of those individuals have been able to come and start earlier.”

During the closure, Interior Health says nine pediatric patients had be transferred from Kelowna to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.

Doctor staffing has improved enough to reduce the number of patient transfers, but the pediatric department issues haven’t been entirely solved.

“If there’s a child who’s sick they should still come to Kelowna General Hospital,” reiterates Masterson, “They’ll be assessed by the emergency physician and the staff who are on and a decision will be made about where their care needs can be safely met. Whether that’s at Kelowna General, or there’s a different site that they need to go to.”