The Government of British Columbia has approved the business plan for the BC Cancer Centre at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) in Kamloops, B.C. The project’s budget is approximately $359 million shared between the provincial government, Interior Health and the Thompson Regional Hospital District.

“Approval of the business plan is a critical milestone for this crucial project. This state-of-the-art cancer centre will benefit patients in Kamloops and the surrounding area by offering the confidence from knowing that we’re building treatment capacity for now and the future,” said B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix in a statement.

The five-storey facility will be built on the Westlands site on the RIH campus with space for radiation treatment, radiation-therapy planning, including a CT Simulator, an outpatient ambulatory-care unit, including 10 exam rooms, and two consultation rooms for radiation-therapy services, a B.C. government release said.

The facility will also have an additional MRI suite, patient arrival and check-in areas and three linear accelerator vaults that contain radiation equipment used for cancer-patient treatment. There will also be a sacred space for patients, caregivers and staff built in collaboration with Indigenous partners with features to support traditional ceremonies.

A new 470-stall parkade will also be constructed and upgrades to RIH to expand cancer care have also been approved including updating and expanding the pharmacy, and relocation and expansion of the Community Oncology Network clinic from the eighth floor to the main floor, the release said.

“This is an exciting step forward in our work to bring new treatment options to this region. The new BC Cancer centre in Kamloops will increase our capacity to deliver radiation treatment closer to home for the people of Kamloops and surrounding communities for generations to come,” BC Cancer executive vice-president and chief medical officer Dr. Kim. Chi said.