For the second night in a row, there will be no doctors on staff at a Fraser Health emergency department overnight due to staffing issues. In a memo sent just before 6 p.m., the health authority said because of an “unexpected physician illness,” anyone arriving at Delta Hospital’s ER after 7 p.m. will not be seen by a doctor. The “temporary service interruption” is scheduled to last until 6:30 a.m. Tuesday. Fraser Health said patients who arrive before 7 p.m. will be able to be seen by a doctor before their shift ends at 1:30 a.m. After 7 p.m., nurses will be on site at Delta Hospital to “support walk-in patients needing basic care, assist with re-direction of care, and/or transfer patients with urgent needs to a neighbouring hospital,” Fraser Health said. Anyone experiencing a life-threatening emergency is asked to call 911 “for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility.” “All other Fraser Health Emergency Departments remain open and have emergency physicians on site; however, high numbers of people seeking care and human resources challenges at many of our hospital emergency departments may lead to longer wait times for patients with non-urgent care concerns,” the memo reads. The disruption comes after Mission Memorial Hospital implemented the same “temporary service interruption” from 5 p.m. Sunday to 8 a.m. Monday. Delta Hospital’s ER previously closed overnight for two consecutive nights in February of this year. Mission Memorial Hospital has diverted patients at least four times in 2025. Elsewhere in B.C., the South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver announced it had to close its emergency department for 23 hours, from 1 p.m. Monday to 12 p.m. Tuesday. Interior Health asked patients to seek emergency care at Penticton Regional Hospital instead.
