The BC Nurses' Union (BCNU) says that an elderly patient at Abbotsford Regional Hospital (ARH) has spent the past month in a small shower room due to chronic overcrowding.
BCNU president Gayle Duteil said the shower room has no toilet or window.
She said ARH, like many hospitals, is overflowing with patients and has been for weeks.
"Many are lining the halls, including a pediatric psychiatric patient who, until recently, spend 106 hours in the hallway in emergency," Duteil said in a press release.
She said that on Wednesday, ARH was overcapacity by 29 patients, who were all waiting for beds in wards.
Mission Hospital is also experiencing "extreme overcapacity," Duteil said.
"Surely, the executives of Fraser Health want to provide safe patient care, not just for this poor fellow stuck in the shower room, but all patients in the region," she added.
Fraser Health spokesperson Nafisa Abdulla said the agency is working on a strategy and has made it a priority to eliminate these types of beds.
“We’re sorry that this patient has spent a few weeks in this location. It’s unacceptable and not appropriate. This is not the type of care our patients should expect. His medical care has been good but the location is not ideal," she said.