The emergency room at Delta Hospital will temporarily close this weekend due to a doctor staffing shortage, Fraser Health has announced.
The closure is set to begin at 6 p.m. Saturday and continue until 6 a.m. Sunday. Fraser Health said the pause ensures that all patients currently in the emergency room are seen by a physician before staff end their shift at 1:30 a.m.
Emergency-trained nurses will remain on site to provide basic care for walk-in patients and assist with redirecting or transferring patients to nearby hospitals if needed. Fraser Health emphasized that the closure only affects the emergency department, while all other hospital services will remain available overnight.
Other Fraser Health emergency departments will stay open, but the temporary closure may result in longer wait times for non-urgent care across the region.
Delta Councillor Dylan Kruger called the ER closure a “public health emergency” and criticized the provincial government for failing to address ongoing staffing issues. He said this marks the fourth closure of the Delta emergency room this year.
“The province has known about these staffing and capacity issues for years, yet here we are again. Another night, another closure,” Kruger said. He added that council requested a meeting with B.C.’s Health Minister, Josie Osborne, last week during the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, but the meeting did not take place.
Kruger emphasized that residents deserve immediate action. “I am tired of issuing calls for the province to step up. I’m tired of asking the province to take responsibility and fix what is clearly broken. We need change now,” he said.
The temporary ER closure underscores ongoing challenges in B.C.’s healthcare system, particularly with doctor staffing and emergency room capacity. Fraser Health urges patients to plan accordingly and consider nearby emergency departments for urgent medical care during the closure.
Officials reminded residents that the emergency room will reopen at 6 a.m. Sunday and that hospital staff will resume normal operations for all services outside the ER.
Healthcare experts say such closures, while temporary, highlight systemic issues in staffing, recruitment, and retention of medical professionals in critical care settings. Fraser Health continues to monitor staffing levels and deploy resources to ensure patient care across the region.
Residents are advised to stay informed about emergency department availability and follow local updates from Fraser Health to avoid delays in urgent medical care.
