Patients at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital will benefit from a new nurse-call system in the older parts of the hospital.
The system replacement – necessary because technology changes mean the system cannot simply be upgraded – will cost $540,000, $324,000 of which is funded by the province, with the remaining $216,000 contributed by the Regional Hospital District of Nanaimo.
The nurse-call system is how patients alert staff they need help and the replacement project will ensure the hospital can continue providing the safest work and care environment possible.
Val Wilson, Vancouver Island Health Authority spokeswoman, said the upgrades are being done in the older parts of the hospital, such as the rehabilitation and ambulatory care units, as the newer parts of the hospital and the patient tower already have the up-to-date systems.
"The current system was installed in 1993-94 and it's nearing the end of its life, so time to upgrade it," she said.