Nanaimo Regional General Hospital - Nanaimo, British Columbia

Linda M.

I attended this hospitals emergency at noon on a Friday I presented with vomiting blood which was told is a serious medical emergency. I hsd also recently travelled in a foreigh country and caught a nssty diarrhea which had returned..Thid was never mentioned as a possible contributing factor.
At 6pm we were still waiting.We were warmly welcomed by front desk staff and seen fast by triage but then waited above 10 houtmrs.. what seemed like an age later we were called through to a nightmare emergency department where nursing staff were all uncaring indifferent and incompetent. I hesitate to criticize medical staff as I know they are understaffed in a broken system. But these were so bad.
I finally saw a doctor at 1 am who clearly had no idea why
I was lthere. I was left to shift as well as I could on a reclining chair for an endless night and had to beg for a blanket and pillows. My husband used our jackets to cover me.. in the middle of the night a nurse grudgingly tidied the blankets so i could snatch an hour of sleep.I was taken early for an ultrasound where I finally met with some warmth and competency. I was then returned to emergency to a different room where again I had to beg for blankets and pillow.. I left at noon. After being there all those hours I was never once asked did iwant any liquid or food..not even water.despiteb being faint and weak.

Next time I'd choose to die in the street rather than the go back inside this awful place.

Cyndi R.

If the psych ward patients who are capable of washing their clothes were given the washing machine to be re-installed…kudos for people like alma Rudolf and Zon at al nurses etc… i would request full disclosure before choosing who stuck me with the needles…oops i did it again shhhhh lol love from CR the other crazy- ladies lol

Harold G.

My wife and I arrived at the ER around 5am because of heavy bleeding and she is pregnant. Sat in the waiting room for 6 hrs, Dr did an ultrasound but needed a better equipment, now we’ve been waiting for 3 hrs and no one even checked on us yet. Had to call a nurse to let them know the situation and all we get is the Dr is on it’s way to see her. An hour passed still waiting. 10 hrs and counting. they only did ultrasound, bloodtest so far.

Bonnie C.

I have spent over 300 days inpatient at NRGH since 2018, including multiple long stays exceeding 6 weeks. I have also spent time in other hospitals on the Island and the Mainland. The entire staff that I come into contact with at NRGH are amazing, the nurses are the best I've ever had. From the porters, to the lab techs, to the nurses, and doctors, everyone is there because they truly care about helping patients. Not to mention the exceptional Social workers who have helped to advocate for me when I was too sick to do so myself. This is a hospital that it is terribly understaffed, has not added any patient beds (or floors) despite being the busiest hospital on the mid-North Island for decades. With the severe doctor shortage, and only one walk in clinic, the ER is often so full there is nowhere to sit. People wait a long time to see a doctor, depending on how well they are staffed that day. I've seen nurses take a ton of abuse when they are simply doing their best in an untenable situation. We have the largest elderly population in the country, we also have the largest unhoused population- many who are disabled, have mental illnesses and addiction. Without other resources and places to go, many beds and ER time are taken up by these patients who do not necessarily need to be seen in a hospital setting. As someone who is chronically, and often critically ill, the sentence I hear the most is "I wish we could admit you. You need to be admitted. But I have 30-80 (depending on the day) admitted patients waiting for beds". Every hallway is lined with people sleeping on cots and sharing 2-3 bathrooms. As someone who is immunocompromised and has Crohn's Disease, it is unsafe for me to sleep in a cot in the ER and share a bathroom. So I go home and try to keep myself alive. For a hospital that serves such a HUGE population we desperately need, more beds, more staff (I've been on the surgical floor where nurses are looking after 8 patients each, the number that is safe is 3)and especially, more specialists like Internists, neurologists, cardiologists, vascular surgeons and GI's. At the very least it should have a catheter lab and more patient floors. It's terrifying. For the staff and patients. NRGH deserves a huge infusion of money and resources so it can hang on to it's wonderful staff, and attract more staff so it is actually functioning and not just surviving.
I give 5 stars to the staff
O stars to the people who are making the financial decisions aka The Provincial Government.

Clive A. B. O.

I encountered a wonderful doctor yesterday. After streamlined preliminaries, he told me to call him Alex and listened to a summary of my problem. I had practised in my head so I believe I gave a good one, "Two weeks ago I was at the doctor with constipation, and last Saturday I had the worst diarrhoea ever, the urge was so intense I had to stand to relieve the pain, there is a pattern, about every six weeks I have a session, it used to be every three months."
He asked questions to discover any other symptoms and gradually eliminate paths of enquiry that might be misleading. He understood my problem; do I take more laxatives or less? He listened to my suggestions and any other clues I could provide patiently, he appreciated my careful reasoning. When I told him I had taken Omeprazole, he told me he would prescribe something better than that. At that moment I felt better; he was obviously on the most plausible track. He told me he would schedule a CT scan in the next two weeks and put me on the list for a colonoscopy but they were months behind. I mentioned my gaul bladder and he responded by assuring me that the scan would examine all my internal organs. Before I got changed he gave me a rectal exam of my prostate and nodded knowingly when I suggested that my lower abdomen was overcrowded with my naturally enlarged prostate, colon and bladder. I have never had such a thorough consultation. I told him man-to-man that I appreciated the attention he gave me.
There was only one problem. I had to wait for five hours at Nanaimo Hospital. Reflecting on my experience I decided to be grateful rather than angry. That doctor was dealing with a succession of problems like mine - probably worse. The lady I sat and waited with could hardly breathe and might have blood clots on her lung after foot surgery. The guy opposite lay down because his vertigo was so bad, only to be sat up by the nurse. A young girl kept vomiting into a bag, others looked like they might have been doing drugs. There was a 400-pound man with arrogance suggesting he saw no connection between his obesity and whatever his problem was.
Our health service is in crisis because of baby boomer overload and lack of foresight by successive governments but the medical staff just do their best, which is exceptional. I hope they realise that enlightened patients like myself have nothing but admiration for them. They deserve their substantial remuneration but perhaps are so inspired by making a huge difference in people's lives that they are profoundly content. I wish I were a doctor.
I believe I need help in regulating my production of digestive acid.

Dana C.

After sitting in the waiting area for an hour I couldn’t help but wonder why there were junkies constantly trickling in. Then I realized the hospital doubles as a junkie shelter. Difference is I actually have an income which is taxed at 40%. These “people” don’t. Time for a tiered system please. This is a hospital not a jail.

omar A.

Went to the ER by ambulance as i had trouble breathing and was feeling nauseas. Very understaffed got seen after being there for 5 hrs and was discharged with some nasusea meds .. back in next day for same reason took them 8 hrs to do an xray and not find anything so they discharge me with new meds .. back again 3rd day same problem did an ultrasound found nothing but finally believed there was something wrong with me .. took my mom whos a doctor back home to suggest to the er doctor here to do a CT scan as it shows more in depth .. when they did that they found inflammation in my lungs and guts and finally got the needed treatment.. kept me overnight and doctor Edmunds came in before finishing his shift and promised me pain killers and sleeping pills and insulin as im diabetic.. 2 hrs later nothing we call a nurse for her to say the doctor has left and did not order any meds for me .. they had to call him after midnight to confirm and gae me what i need .. vomited in the room i was in on the floor and ot only got cleaned 1 hr later after telling the nurse 3 times . only good doctor there is Marwood

Worst hospital ever

Ps : avoid dr edmunds and nurse judy

Dian A.

My 89 year old grandma was brought there after a fall. Went to visit her and found her laying in a bed in the hallway like a piece of garbage. She was like that for a whole day. When she finally got a room, she was not tended to and didn't even have water to drink. Her mouth was so dry, she had difficulty talking. This is disgusting and unacceptable for a hospital.