NDP vows to build new patient tower for Langley hospital
This article was originally written by Roxanne Hooper and published by the Langley Advanced Times.
The day after BC NDP leader David Eby stopped off in Langley for another campaign visit, his three area riding candidates revealed a promise for a new tower at Langley Memorial Hospital.
Assuming they’re elected on Oct. 19, the NDP candidates Andrew Mercier (Langley-Willowbrook), John Aldag (Langley-Abbotsford) and Megan Dykeman (Langley-Walnut Grove) announced Sunday that the party is committing to build a new patient-care tower, as part of already planned upgrades to the Langley hospital campus.
“Our community is growing, and a new patient tower and upgraded hospital facilities will mean better care for you and better working conditions for doctors, nurses and other health care workers,” said Mercier, although no details of size or timeframe were discussed.
“We look forward to working alongside our dedicated health care professionals here in Langley to see this project through.”
Phase one of the upgrades to the Langley Memorial Hospital will include the previously-announced new long-term care home that will double the number of long-term care beds on the hospital grounds.
The second phase of the project would include building a new patient-care tower, which would include new state-of-the-art operating rooms.
The new patient-care tower is expected to be located on the site of the current long-term care home. The plan also includes renovating the ambulatory day care space within the existing hospital, the MLA hopefuls explained.
“We have heard from health care workers in our community how important the replacement of this tower is for Langley Memorial Hospital,” said Dykeman.
“This next phase is so vital for our growing community.”
Recent health care investments by the BC NDP in the Langley area include a new MRI suite at local hospital, which opened in December 2020, the new emergency ward the following spring, and a new urgent and primary-care centre, which opened in May 2024.
“Everyone deserves to be able to access high-quality health care when and where they need it,” said Aldag.
“We need modernized hospital facilities to support the people in our growing community and the health care workers providing critical services to patients.”
“John Rustad has already said ‘we don’t have the capacity’ to build the health care and transit infrastructure that is currently planned,” claimed Mercier, who is vying for re-election in this campaign against Conservative candidate Jody Toor, and Green Party candidate Petrina Arnason.