Kelowna General Hospital - FILE PHOTO
Image Credit: Google Street View
June 30, 2025 - 12:23 PM
Interior Health has a new CEO following the controversial Kelowna General Hospital pediatric unit closure, but local MLAs aren’t satisfied with the change.
BC Conservatives Kelowna-Mission MLA Gavin Dew, West Kelowna-Peachland MLA Macklin McCall and Kelowna Centre MLA Kristina Loewen are hosting a town hall to address the health care situation in the city, according to a press release from the party.
“Swapping out one person at Interior Health doesn’t let the province off the hook,” Dew said in the release. “This crisis didn’t appear overnight—and it didn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s the direct result of years of neglect, mismanagement, and a Minister of Health who’s been absent while communities like Kelowna have been crying out for help.”
The Kelowna Health Care Crisis Town Hall is going to be at the Coast Capri Hotel from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on July 2.
“This is a chance to hear directly from the people who live with the consequences of this government’s failure every day, and to send a message to the government that it’s time to fix our healthcare,” Dew said.
Interior Health CEO Susan Brown was set to retire at the end of the year but after a meeting with the IH board has resigned and will instead stick around to help with the transition.
READ MORE: Interior Health CEO steps down following KGH pediatric closure controversy
The three local MLAs have been calling for change since the pediatric unit closed, particularly when it came to Interior Health leadership. Now that Brown is on the way out, Dew said it’s important to push for more change.
“KGH has had 50 hospital beds worth of space sitting unfinished and unused for more than a decade while patients are treated in crowded hallways. We need more doctors trained at UBCO and more lab techs coming out of Okanagan College. And we need a government that understands health care in the Interior isn’t an afterthought—it’s a priority. So far, we’ve seen little urgency and little proof that (Health) Minister (Josie) Osborne gets that,” Dew said.
The KGH 10-bed inpatient pediatric unit has been closed for weeks due to staffing issues and Interior Health has been trying to fill those spots. Interior Health said it hired four new physicians for the department, but it still isn’t enough to reopen the unit.
Interior Health said it’s going to work with the medical staff association and Doctors of BC to address the staffing issues long-term. It also said the plan is to appoint a neutral, third-party facilitator to give the health authority some direction on improving pediatric care at KGH.
Interior Health said it is going to reopen the unit as soon as possible but didn't provide a specific date.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jesse Tomas or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. Find our Journalism Ethics policy here.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.
News from © iNFOnews, 2025