Home / Health / Port Alberni Hospital Diverts Patients Amid Shortages
Port Alberni Hospital Diverts Patients Amid Shortages
13 Dec, 2025
Summary
- Non-emergency patients without a family doctor are now diverted.
- Hospitalizations for non-emergency care will be redirected.
- The hospital's emergency room remains open 24/7 for all emergencies.
West Coast General Hospital in Port Alberni, British Columbia, has begun diverting a new category of patients due to persistent staff shortages. Individuals needing hospital care for non-emergency conditions, and who do not have a family doctor, will now be redirected to alternative hospitals across Vancouver Island.
This decision impacts patients who would typically be managed by hospitalists, a group for whom the hospital is currently experiencing a deficit. While the measure is termed temporary, no specific end date has been announced. The hospital's emergency department, however, remains fully operational and accessible 24 hours a day.
The recent changes come after the indefinite closure of the intensive care unit last month, also attributed to a lack of specialized medical staff. Local officials acknowledge the hospital's critical role in serving the Alberni Valley and west coast of Vancouver Island, a population of approximately 35,000 to 40,000 residents.
