Nanaimo Regional General Hospital is getting a new $34-million intensive care unit.
The current ICU was built in 1970 and is no longer big enough, or functional enough, to meet the needs of the growing population.
Health Minister Adrian Dix confirms the project will move forward, tripling the size of the current unit and adding updating medical technology to help save lives.
This year ICU visits at the hospital are expected to reach close to 25-hundred, but that number is anticipated to reach over 32-hundred in 15 years -- a 30% growth.
The new facility will be located south of the current emergency department. Work is expected to start in early 2020 and be ready for patients in late 2021.