Patients thinking about going to NRGH or other Island hospitals for care will now have a better idea of the estimated wait time, before their arrival. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

wait times

NRGH & other Island hospital wait times now available online

Jul 3, 2025 | 9:41 AM

NANAIMO — Estimated wait times at several Island emergency care facilities are now available online.

Island Health has launched a new page on their website which provides regularly updated estimates of wait times at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital and other Island hospital emergency departments.

Chief medical officer Marko Peljhan said the estimates are based on data from the previous eight weeks, to provide a prediction of wait times for any hour of a particular day.

“We’ve done a couple different tests…and we determined that this was the most accurate to show what an actual representative wait is. That said, your wait time at any given time in the department could change rapidly. We could get a trauma come in…and that could have an impact to your wait time.”

Estimates are updated hourly on the website, and Island Health expects nine out of 10 patients will see a care provider within the stated estimate.

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Thirteen facilities are included in the new data, which was only previously available at the facility itself.

Peljhan added the estimates are designed to be guidelines and help people at home make informed decisions.

“If somebody is having a critical life-threatening event, they should not be looking at the website. They should be calling 911, or getting to their closest emergency department. The wait times are representative of everyone that’s waiting within an emergency department at any given time, sickest patients are seen first, if you do have a life-threatening condition, you are seen rapidly.”

For now, wait time information is not available for community health centres on Vancouver Island, including in Parksville and Ladysmith, nor at the Urgent Primary Care Clinics at Port Place Shopping Centre, or on Norwell Dr. in Nanaimo.

Peljhan said it’s something they’re looking at in the future.

“The website pulls data off of a software system…called FirstNet, and we don’t have that capability in our Urgent Primary Care Centres yet, so we don’t have the accurate ability to have that representative on a daily basis.”

Following the opening of the Norwell Dr. clinic earlier this year, another UPCC is scheduled to open in the Cowichan Valley later in 2025, according to Island Health.

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