Where Victoria General Hospital's services will be moved

The Nova Scotia government announced Thursday it will begin relocating medical services away from the Victoria General Hospital site by the end of this year as it prepares to replace the facility.

That means services will be split between existing sites, two new facilities, a private clinic and a non-profit organization.

• Victoria General Hospital replacement plans announced

Much of the aging site — in particular the Victoria and Centennial buildings — will be demolished starting in 2022. But Premier Stephen McNeil said maintaining those services will mean more than simply rebuilding the site. 

"This is not about the last 50 years, it's about the next 50 years and beyond," McNeil said.

All the work is expected to be done by 2020, when the Victoria and Centennial buildings will start to be decommissioned.

This is what we know so far about where services will be moved:

Renovations to Halifax Infirmary

The Halifax Infirmary will build 10 new operating rooms and space for at least 162 beds to handle some of the patients currently going to the Victoria General site.

The fifth floor of the Halifax Infirmary will be renovated and four specialized care areas will be added, including one for multi-organ transplants.

The renovations will increase the capacity of the pre-op, post-anesthesia care, intensive care and intermediate care units.

Three operating units will be added to the fifth floor, in addition to the 16 that are already there. 

Renovations to Dartmouth General Hospital site 

Renovations at the Dartmouth General Hospital are estimated to cost between $132 million and $138 million.

The pharmacy and intensive care unit will be updated and the third and fourth floors will be renovated with upgrades to inpatient units.

The fifth floor will be expanded to add 48 new beds and four new operating rooms.

Renovations to QEII Dickson Building

The building will be renovated and its Nova Scotia Cancer Centre expanded. After that, it will handle specialized outpatient cancer care such as:

• Chemotherapy.
• Biologic therapy.
• A systemic care suite.
• A systemic supportive care suite.
• An aphaeresis unit.
• A chemotherapy preparation area.
• Support services for care delivery including diagnostic imaging and laboratory services.

The pharmacy and research capabilities will be expanded, as well.

Renovations to Hants Community Hospital

This year, a second operating room will open at the hospital. That will be used for up to 800 surgeries each year, all of which would have been performed at the Victoria General. 

The existing operating room will be renovated.

Scotia Surgery

This privately run clinic has been used for years for publicly funded surgeries to shorten wait times. 

The province says it wants to expand the use of the clinic and is undergoing contract discussions to add more capacity for outpatient procedures.

Halifax Residential Hospice

A hospice will be built in the Halifax area, funded entirely by the Hospice Society of Greater Halifax. 

That will house five palliative care beds moved from the Victoria General site. An additional five palliative care beds will be added.

Community-based outpatient centre (New building)

A new, community-based outpatient centre will be built outside of downtown Halifax. 

It will house services that don't need a hospital setting, such as:

• Ophthalmology.
• Cardiology.
• Chronic pain treatment.
• Internal medicine.
• Primary care.
• Diagnostics.
• Laboratory services.
• Community dialysis.

The Centennial and Victoria buildings have four ophthalmology operating rooms. Nova Scotia Health Authority spokesman Everton MacLean said he's not sure yet where those operating rooms will go.

Specialized outpatient centre (New building)

A new specialized outpatient centre will be built close or connected to the Halifax Infirmary. 

The Maritime Heart Health Clinic will be moved here, as well as:

• Research, teaching and academic capacity.
• Acute dialysis.
• The QEII pre-surgical admission clinic.
• Medical day unit.
• Minor procedures and endoscopy services.