Doctors want upgrade to 62-year-old Penticton hospital

About 120 doctors, specialists and surgeons want to talk to area residents about the critcially ill Penticton Regional Hospital.

The Penticton Hospital Patient Care Society – all doctors with current hospital privileges – have called a town hall meeting on Feb. 13. They say the hospital is in bad shape from massive over-crowding and outdated facilities.

It says the provincial government needs to follow through on an expansion that's been in the planning stages for a decade and would include a new patient care tower.

The hospital's original design does not meet modern society's needs according to the www.prhtower.ca site. This website was created by the doctors' group. The hospital was designed when penicillin was not widely available for a population of 10,000 people with an expected lifespan of 68 years.

The current building is being used by more than 90,000 people with a life expectancy of 83 years. It is running at more than 107% capacity.

Hospital staff and its foundation have added resources and equipment in a piece-meal fashion throughout the years. A lot of these services were not funded by Interior Health or the provincial government according to the website.

More information can be found at the website which has details on how citizens can help out.