NNN’s last 10: Nanaimo hospital on the road to recovery

The much-needed NRGH upgrades were not only for Nanaimo residents: those living in other areas of central and northern Vancouver Island have also organized their voices with the help of the Fair Care Alliance.

During a Sept. 2024 rally in Nanaimo, Alliance chair Donna Hais said areas north of the Malahat get roughly one-fifth of Island healthcare funding, despite being home to more than half the Island’s population.

A new patient tower and catheterization lab at NRGH were election promises made by David Eby in the lead-up to the 2024 provincial election, with local MLAs maintaining those pledges a year later.

In Dec. 2025, members of the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District voted in favour of a plan to provide up to $50M to build a cardiac care service at NRGH, after Island Health’s 10-year capital project budget pushed the cath lab back to 2030.

Recent improvements to NRGH have focused on additions to the current facility, including a new high acuity unit opened last year, coupled with a new intensive care unit opened in 2023, noted as being a critical need for NRGH since 2020.

Jesse’s House, a place for families to stay while their loved ones receive critical care, is currently under construction in the northeast corner of NRGH property.

The 16-bed, $10 million housing complex is expected to open by 2027, with millions of dollars in donations already in the bank.

Construction is also underway for the Nanaimo Cancer Centre, slated to open in 2028, on the NRGH property.

In February, Island Health said “concept plans” are being started to expand NRGH, including acute and cardiac services.

Expanded parking on the NRGH property has also been done, including an ongoing parkade project under construction at the Boundary Ave./Dufferin Cres. intersection.

Meanwhile, the Nanaimo District Hospital Foundation continues fundraising for new equipment, recently shifting its focus to recruiting and retaining health care workers.

Other mid-Island communities spend years advocating for health facilities of their own, which in turn ease the burden on NRGH.

In Lantzville, a six-storey, 306-bed long-term care centre cleared several red-tape barriers in early 2026, with an estimated completion date of late 2028 or early 2029.

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by Jordan Davidson

NNN’s last 10: Nanaimo hospital on the road to recovery

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