File photo (Image credit: CFJC Today).

By Aaron Schulze

Merritt ER

Nicola Valley Hospital emergency department closed until Saturday morning

Oct 20, 2023 | 5:45 AM

MERRITT, B.C. — Residents in Merritt and area should prepare for a change in their regularly scheduled health care coverage to start their weekend.

Interior Health says the emergency department at Nicola Valley Hospital in Merritt will be closed from 8 a.m. Friday (Oct. 20) to 8 a.m. Saturday (Oct. 21). The health authority says the 24-hour closure is due to limited physician availability.

Meantime, patients needing access to emergency care will be directed to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops. All other inpatient services will continue at Nicola Valley Hospital.

It’s the 19^th closure for the Merritt emergency room in 2023. The closure comes on the heels of a $7.5 million provincial funding announcement for the emergency departments in Merritt, Oliver and Salmon Arm.