Surrey – The BC Government announced that Surrey will get a second hospital to augment Surrey Memorial.
But the timeline is vague.
On Monday, Provincial Health Minister Adrian Dix made the announcement:
“Surrey Memorial Hospital delivers first-class health care, but we recognize with a rapidly growing community that access to this care is becoming difficult for a great number of people,” said Dix. “We made a commitment to British Columbians to address this need and today we are taking the first planning step in making sure people living in this region have better access to quality care.”
The Ministry of Health, together with Fraser Health, is funding a concept plan for a new hospital in Surrey. The concept plan is first step in planning for a hospital. It lays out the need for a specific project and identifies potential locations. Concept planning is a key part of the process that ensures that the needs of the community are identified and addressed. A request for proposals is being released seeking a consultant to begin this work.
The catch, this could take 6 to 10 years. As of 2017, the population of Surrey stands at 518,000 people, and by 2041, Surrey is expected to overtake the City of Vancouver (proper) as the largest city in the province. One hospital won’t cut it.
All new hospitals in B.C. are planned to a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold standard.
- Surrey is the second-largest city in British Columbia, with a population of over 500,000, and growing.
- By 2041, Surrey is projected to surpass Vancouver as the largest city in B.C.
- In 2013-14, Surrey Memorial Hospital saw 117,562 emergency room visits, provided care to 28,859 inpatient and 10,067 surgical day-care cases, delivered 4,168 newborns and had 155,119 visits to ambulatory care.
- In 2016-17, the Family Birthing Unit delivered 4,474 babies.
- As a regional hospital for Fraser Health, as well as the home hospital for one of B.C.’s fastest-growing communities, Surrey Memorial Hospital is the second-largest hospital in British Columbia, with the province’s busiest emergency department.
- With 452 employees at the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgical Centre and 4,215 employees at Surrey Memorial Hospital, they are among the leading employers in Surrey and contribute significantly to the community.
- A new hospital in Surrey may relieve pressure on Surrey Memorial Hospital, and could potentially offer a range of services, such as day-care/short-stay surgeries, outpatient and pediatric care, speciality seniors’ care, pre- and post-transplant care, as well as training and education for health professionals.
