Last year, Island health had a 6.4 percent increase in emergency department visits and a 1.5 per cent increase in hospital admissions over the previous year.
Spokesperson Sarah Plank says that’s as a result of an aging population.
She says Island Health traditionally focused on acute care services but plans to shift that focus a bit to primary and preventative care in the coming years….
Island Health’s year-end statistics were reported to the Island Health Board of Directors, which met in Parksville yesterday (Thurs).
In a typical day across Island Health in 2013/14, 16 babies were born, about 28,000 people visited a family physician, 190 patients were admitted to hospital, 911 people came to an emergency department and 168 surgeries were performed in hospital.
