Construction has officially begun on the long-awaited BC Cancer Centre at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH).
BC’s former Health Minister, Adrian Dix, announced in February 2024 that construction would start in 2025. By March 2024, the Thompson Regional Hospital District (TRHD) got its first look at the future building.
On Thursday, Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure, Josie Osborne, Minister of Health, and representatives from Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc, Interior Health (IH) and BC Cancer announced the start of construction.
The five-storey centre is being built at the Westlands site at RIH and will allow patients receiving cancer treatment to stay closer to home.
"This new BC Cancer centre in Kamloops is the single largest capital investment into the expansion of cancer care in the Kamloops region,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure.
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Currently, patients can receive chemotherapy at RIH’s community oncology clinic but patients are having to travel to Kelowna or the Lower Mainland for radiation.
The new centre will include all cancer treatments in one building.
The new centre will have space for radiation treatment, radiation-therapy planning, including a CT simulator, an outpatient ambulatory-care unit, including 10 exam rooms, two consultation rooms for radiation-therapy services, an additional MRI suite, and patient arrival and check-in areas.
There will also be interfaith sacred spaces for patients, caregivers and staff as well as new offices and workstations for staff.
A new 470-stall parkade will also be built as part of the project.
“This is a major step forward in delivering the world-class care BC Cancer is known for to more communities in the Interior,” Sarah Roth, president and chief executive officer, BC Cancer Foundation.
“Supported by a BC Cancer Foundation $5-million fundraising campaign, progress on the upcoming BC Cancer centre in Kamloops brings new hope to patients and their families who deserve timely access to treatment without the added burden of travel.”
According to the province, the centre is expected to host 7,500 patient radiation consults and follow up appointments annually.
A news release says the centre will provide about 16,5000 treatments for up to 1,200 patients in its opening year.
Construction of the new facility is expected to be complete by 2028 and expansion and upgrades to RIH’s community oncology clinic and pharmacy are expected to be done by 2029.
The estimated cost of the project is about $386 million, which is being shared between the province and the TRHD.
