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What is the Fair Care Alliance?
The Fair Care Alliance is a citizen-led advocacy group working to bring equitable, comprehensive healthcare to all patients on Vancouver Island.
Rooted in research, lived experience, and strong community partnerships, we’re focused on bringing life-saving infrastructure and services to NRGH — the only tertiary hospital serving the Central-North Island.
Learn where the Fair Care Alliance stands today in this updated Up Front interview, as Donna Hais returns to speak with Dean Thullner-Veljacic one year after their first conversation. →
What We're Fighting For:
A Full Service Hospital Tower
Build a new patient tower at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) to provide the diagnostic, treatment, and program capabilities expected of a tertiary hospital, increasing total bed capacity to 600. More than just a tower, this expansion would provide the essential services needed to ensure care is safe, effective, and equitable by today’s standards.
A Catheterization Lab
Establish the first cardiac “Cath Lab” north of the Malahat at NRGH to address the region’s urgent and critical need for cardiac care.
Our Mission is to ensure that all people North of the Malahat have access to appropriate and comprehensive, tertiary healthcare in Nanaimo on the traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.
The Critical Issues We Face
As the tertiary hospital serving all of Central and North Vancouver Island, these are the realities we face at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital:
Too Few Beds
Overcapacity is the norm, with the facility regularly treating more than 400 inpatients in a 346-bed hospital.
Understaffed
With only 1 on-call internist for over 400 daily patients, the hospital cannot provide the care Island residents need.
No Cath Lab
This is the only region in Canada, with a population over 400,000, that lacks a catheterization lab. For comparison, Victoria has two.
Unsafe Hospital
In 2010 a 386 page report summarized NRGH (60+ years old) to be “Grossly Inadequate” with “Extremely Outdated Care Units.” Download report here.
Too Few Cardiologists
As of October 2025, only one cardiologist is available at NRGH. By comparison, Victoria now has 26 cardiologists, highlighting the significant regional disparity in cardiac care.
The consequences are dire:
Overflowing ER
NRGH’s ER is one of the busiest on the island with risky wait times.
Failed Standards
Without a Cath Lab we cannot meet the Canadian standard of cardiac care of “door to needle in 90 minutes” for the majority of the region.
Fatal Outcomes
Patients with heart disease face significant challenges accessing necessary care, some resulting in fatal outcomes.
Earthquake Risk
In the 2010 review NRGH failed seismic testing. Download review here.
These challenges place every resident of Central and North Vancouver Island at risk, and the risk increases as our population grows and ages.
As someone who has personally dealt with heart problems, I cannot stress enough the urgency of addressing the critical lack of cardiac care in Central and North Island. Lives are at risk due to the absence of a Cath Lab, leaving patients vulnerable and families burdened with the financial strain.