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Cloverdale hospital project moves ahead

New hospital will have a state-of-the-art cancer centre
27296469_web1_New-Surrey-Hospital-Location-Map-191209
Map with the location for the new Surrey hospital in Cloverdale. (Handout)

Things are moving along in the process to build a new hospital in Surrey.

On Nov. 24, the government said it’s now asking for requests for qualifications (RFQ). This stage offers companies the chance to indicate they are interested in building the new hospital in Cloverdale.

“We are moving forward with procurement now underway,” Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, said in a press release. “This is the first stage of the procurement process and invites teams to express their interest and qualifications for designing and building the hospital.”

The new hospital, to be located across from the current KPU campus, will also have a state-of-the-art cancer centre.

The RFQ process will last a few months, at which point Fraser Health will shortlist three companies who will then be asked to submit requests for proposals (RFPs) to “lead the design and construction of the project.”

An RFP will be chosen at some point in 2022. The government expects shovels in the ground by 2023, with ribbon cutting in 2027.

“We are excited to take this next step forward in the development of a new hospital for Surrey, and, in partnership with BC Cancer, the addition of a fourth cancer centre to our region,” said Dr. Victoria Lee, Fraser Health president and chief executive officer. “The new Surrey hospital and cancer centre will be a fully digital community hospital within Fraser Health’s integrated regional smart system of care and, by providing a virtual first, responsive environment at the new hospital, we can better support patient-centred care while increasing access for patients and their families, closer to home.”

With the new Cloverdale hospital project, the release noted there will be employment opportunities for “Indigenous people and other under-represented groups (such as people of colour, women, youth and people with disabilities),” as well as more training opportunities and more apprentice hours “and promotion of Indigenous culture, which will be achieved through enhanced procurement and contract terms.”

The Cloverdale hospital will have 168 in-patient beds, five operating rooms, four procedure rooms, an emergency department with 55 treatment spaces, a medical imaging department, including three computed tomography (CT) scanners and two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, a pharmacy, and a laboratory.

The hospital will also have a “dedicated area for spiritual care and family gatherings that support cultural diversity and spiritual practices.”

The new cancer centre will have 50 exam rooms, 54 chemotherapy treatment spaces and space for radiation therapy.

“By 2030, we expect that almost 40,000 British Columbians will be diagnosed with cancer every year, with one of the largest increases in the Fraser Health region,” said Dr. David Byres, president and chief executive officer, Provincial Health Services Authority. “Through our partnership with Fraser Health, we’re building our provincial capacity, ensuring British Columbians continue to experience some of the best cancer outcomes in Canada. BC Cancer provides an invaluable service improving these outcomes and providing the support patients and their families need.”

The hospital is expected cost $1.66 billion.

Meantime, Semiahmoo First Nation Chief Harley Chappell said at the Oct. 29 Metro Vancouver board meeting, following a City of Surrey delegation, that the province is “moving a bit fast” on the hospital-land discussion, as there is “an outstanding land issue that we need to resolve with the provincial government.”

Chappell asked that discussions between Semiahmoo First Nation, Fraser Health, and the province be given time to conclude before the application to redesignate the land moves forward.

—with files from Tracy Holmes.



editor@cloverdalereporter.com

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Malin Jordan

About the Author: Malin Jordan

Malin is the editor of the Cloverdale Reporter.
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