Patients being treated in hallways at overwhelmed Kelowna General Hospital

KELOWNA, B.C. – Patients at a Kelowna, B.C., hospital may be finding themselves treated outside rooms as the facility grapples with a surge in numbers.

Kelowna General Hospital is in the midst of one of its busiest times of year, currently operating around 30 per cent over capacity.

The hospital's health service director Danielle Cameron says some of the increase in patients is attributed to influenza and gastrointestinal illness activity in the community.

Several residential care facilities have been hit with an outbreak, meaning the hospital has been caring for those additional patients who in some cases can't return to their care facilities until the outbreak has cleared.

The high volume of patients has resulted in a shortage of rooms at the hospital, leading some to be cared for in hallways, which Cameron admits is not ideal.

Cameron says regardless of the increased volume, the hospital is providing care to anyone coming in to the facility and the medical needs of patients are being met.