Nanaimo Regional General Hospital has a new chair, and she says it’s time to put healthcare first not just for the residents in the city, but for everyone north of the Malahat.
Janice Perrino, who is also a city councillor, will succeed Ian Thorpe after seven years of service to the hospital board and says it’s time for major investments to ensure the health of Vancouver Island residents are prioritized and taken seriously.
“We have asked the provincial government to get going on concept plan and the business plan, and we’ll pay for it from the money we have,” she says. “We’ll pay for this upfront to get this project going.
“It’s important that the concept and business plan get into that process because they’re going to take a couple of years.”
While the board has indicated the importance of healthcare, Perrino says all eyes are on the board to make sure the needs of everyone, including the most northern points, are included and that is what this board is focused on.
“The hospital serves the far north for those who don’t have services,” she says. “We are pushing hard to get the expansion we need.
“We’re going to be sending letters to the premier, the minister of health, the Island Health board of directors, and the infrastructure minister. They’re ready to go today.”
The board acknowledges the province is in a tight position right now with looming tariffs and tight financial constraints, but Perrino says she’s prepared to meet stakeholders halfway.
“We know the situation is very difficult with the concerns about tariffs and all the other issues facing the province, but when we’re prepared to put the money forward to get this project up and going, we expect them to do their part,” she says.
She says it’s time to end hallway medicine and focus on patients and improve care.
“When you have to lay in a hospital bed in a hallway that’s unacceptable,” she says. “It’s not safe for the patients, it’s not how you get well quickly, we need the expansion and extra services as soon as possible.”
