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South Okanagan Photos

Chief of staff resigns – tells town councillors at Oliver town meeting

Entwistle shown right with Alan Ruddiman (Doctors of BC)

The chief of staff at South Okanagan General resigns March 31st over concerns about the continued erosion of patient care in the health facility in Oliver.

Dr. Peter Entwistle said IHA ( Interior Health ) is planning to decrease the actual number of hospital beds in Oliver from 24 to 18. That is a decrease of 25%.

“That means that patients will be forced to be left on beds in the emergency department in Oliver; that is really not good patient care” says Entwistle.

Interior Health is responsible for all decisions at the SO General Hospital.

Entwistle has been chief of staff at SOGH since 2009 and has been practicing medicine for more than 30 years.

Without his efforts and those of SOME other doctors – the emergency ward at SOGH would be closed and all patients needing emergency care would be transported to Penticton.

Councillors in Oliver will write to the Minister of Health, IHA, the local MLA, Town of Osoyoos and OIB to get support for keeping the hospital at a high level of care 24/7 as the only hospital between Penticton and Grand Forks.