Doctor staffing shortage in Delta Hospital emergency room leads to temporary closure

DELTA — Fraser Health is warning that the emergency room at the Delta Hospital will temporarily close for more than 12 hours this weekend due to a doctor staffing shortage.

It says in a news release that the interruption will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday to ensure that all patients already in the emergency room can been seen by a physician before they end their shift at 1:30 a.m.

It says that emergency-trained nurses will remain on site during the interruption to help walk-in patients with basic care and to help redirect or transfer patients to neighbouring hospitals.

Fraser Health says in a news release that the disruption will end at 6 a.m. on Sunday and only impacts the emergency department, and all other services at the hospital will remain available overnight.

It says all other Fraser Health Emergency Departments will remain open, but warns the closure may result in longer wait times for non-urgent care at other emergency rooms in the region.

Delta Councillor Dylan Kruger issued a separate statement Saturday, calling the ER closure a “public health emergency” and a failing of the B.C. government.

“The province has known about these staffing and capacity issues for years, yet here we are again. Another night, another closure,” Kruger said in the statement.

He said it is the fourth time the Delta emergency room has closed this year. He said council had requested a meeting with B.C.’s Health Minister about the issue last week at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, but Josie Osborne did not take the meeting.

“I am tired of issuing calls for the province to step up. I’m tired of asking the province to take responsibility and fix what is clearly broken,” he said.

“We need change now,” he concluded.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2025.

The Canadian Press