BC Interior posted Mar 26, 2025 @ 05:00am by Iain Burns

BC Interior emergency department shut down with no warning

Merritt residents were given no warning at all last night as the city’s emergency department was abruptly shut down.

Interior Health provided no explanation for what it called a “temporary service interruption,” but the cause in such closures is almost always a lack of staff.

The alert from the health authority was issued a little before 9 pm.

<who> Photo credit: Interior Health

Interior Health said in its bulletin that emergency care at Nicola Valley Hospital should be restored at 7 am today.

Anyone in need of urgent medical help has been told to head to Kamloops instead.

Other inpatient services at Merritt were unaffected by the closure.

Interior Health’s bulletin adds: “People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e., chest pains, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding) should always call 911 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility.”

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