Overcrowding at one Metro Vancouver hospital has pushed patients and their belongings into busy hallways and even the emergency room lobby, where privacy screens have been set up since Tuesday afternoon.
The situation at Royal Columbian Hospital is reminiscent of last March, when the facility's Tim Horton's coffee shop was turned into a makeshift ward to handle patient overflow.
Fraser Health acknowledges that the situation is "not ideal," but says early January is typically one of the busiest times of year for hospitals due to seasonal illness and weather-related injuries.
"What we have is a congested hospital site where we need to make use of available overflow space, including hallways and patient care areas outside of the rooms," spokesman Roy Thorpe-Doward told CTV News.
But critics say the situation puts undue stress on patients, and warrants an immediate response.
"Having your loved one in the foyer or the lobby of a hospital in an emergency situation is not acceptable," NDP health critic Sue Hammel said. "This is a serious problem that needs action"
Hammel says the problem in the Fraser Health region was pointed out in 2007, and the government has so far failed to act.
"It was identified that this region, as the fastest growing region, needed 740 new acute care beds. That's not happened, and therefore you have this problem," Hammel said.
Fraser Health says it has implemented a strategy to free up more beds, which includes providing home support care and moving admitted patients to their destination wards as soon as possible.
The health authority also says it has added 420 beds to the region over the last 10 years, and will have an additional 151 beds ready when the Surrey Memorial Critical Care Tower is complete.
The tower is scheduled to open in 2014.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Brent Shearer
