New Nanaimo hospital ICU to take patients soon, replacing one of Canada's worst units

The exterior of the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital is seen. (CTV News)

A new intensive care unit in Nanaimo will start taking patients next week, replacing an aging unit once called one of the worst ICUs in Canada.

British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix visited the Harbour City facility on Monday to announce that construction on the new 12-bed facility is complete.

The new ICU is expected to receive patients starting on June 28, according to the Health Ministry.

"We heard the needs of people in Nanaimo, and I'm proud that our government responded with a new ICU that provides both a technological upgrade and an expansion in size to provide better health-care services," said Dix.

The unit is located to the south of the current emergency department and will feature larger single-patient rooms, a medication room and a family consultation room.

The existing 10-bed intensive care unit was built in 1970 and is outdated in its functionality, according to the ministry.

Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Sheila Malcolmson, who is also Nanaimo's MLA, says the old ICU was reported in 2013 as one of "the most dangerous" in Canada and the new unit is greatly needed in the central Vancouver Island city.

An external review that looked at three of Island Health’s ICUs said the physical condition of the Nanaimo unit was "by far the worst ICU we have seen in Canada."

The cost of the project is an estimated $41.6 million and is shared between Island Health, the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District and the Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation, according to the province.

Construction also continues on a new 12-bed high-acuity unit at the hospital, which will provide patients with more acute care and closer monitoring than a general hospital ward, but with fewer resources than an ICU.

The $18.5-million high-acuity unit will replace the temporary eight-bed unit when it opens in summer 2024.

With files from The Canadian Press