Powell River Regional District will help Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) replace broken down and much-needed diagnostic equipment for Powell River General Hospital (PRGH).
During the Thursday, September 11, regional district committee of the whole meeting, a VCH representative made the request for financial assistance to purchase a new endoscopic video system. Cost for the endoscopic video system is $169,000 and VCH is requesting $67,600 from the hospital district, which amounts to 40 per cent of the expenditure.
Johan Marais, VCH capital planning regional director, said the portable unit in place at PRGH is continuously breaking down.
“It’s really causing an issue,” he said. “We have no alternative but to replace it. We are asking you for a potential cost-share to replace this unit. We would really not want the patients going to Lions Gate Hospital for any of these procedures. It is critical that we replace it.”
Colin Palmer, regional district chair, said there are always tradeoffs in situations such as this.
“I get mealy-mouthed about this because it’s the old thing of ‘where the heck is the province?’” However, Palmer said he wanted to remind the committee of the whole that Vancouver Coastal Health scoured its slippage money at the end of last year and put it into the general reserve for the Willingdon Creek Village project.
“We didn’t even ask them,” Palmer said.
Marais said that donation amounted to about $239,000.
In reviewing the request, Palmer said, “I think we should try and help them. We don’t want to give Vancouver Coastal Health, and particularly the provincial government, the idea we are going to do this every five minutes. This is an exceptional emergency case and it benefits the whole region.”
The committee of the whole unanimously passed a recommendation that the board of the regional hospital district approve the financial assistance request to provide 40 per cent, up to $67,600, toward the purchase of the endoscopic video system, and that the board approve a budget amendment to fund the request from the regional hospital district’s reserve.
According to a written request from Marais, PRGH requires two endoscopic video systems. There is a fixed system for use in the gastrointestinal (GI) clinics and a portable, emergency system for use in critical care areas and after hours. Marais stated the PRGH portable system has failed to image during emergency, after hours GI bleed procedures.
At the Wednesday, September 17, regional hospital board meeting, board members unanimously agreed to allocate the money through the regional hospital district’s reserve fund.
