Interior Health is looking to secure up to $20 million from the B.C. government to help purchase new equipment for Kelowna General Hospital (KGH).
According to a letter from Interior Health to the Central Okanagan Regional Hospital District, some of the funding would go towards purchasing a new MRI machine and replacing an older MRI system for KGH’s medical imaging department.
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While Interior Health said the investments are needed for KGH down the road, they aren’t listed as capital funding projects for the 2020/2021 fiscal year.
Interior Health is also seeking $500,000 in funding for a new septic system at Cottonwoods Care Centre in Kelowna and more than $100,000 for a new cath lab at KGH. A cath lab is an examination room in a hospital with diagnostic imaging equipment used to visualize the arteries of the heart.
To help pay for future capital projects at local hospitals, Regional District of Central Okanagan staff are recommending a three per cent annual tax increase for households over the next five years.
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