Article content

A Kelowna, B.C., First Nation is poised to build a 100-bed luxury private hospital serving medical tourists and the wealthy, becoming the first Canadian band to seek profit in private health care.

The chief of the Westbank First Nation wouldn’t comment on the proposed facility until the deal is ready to move forward, but a senior band employee said construction is slated to begin in October.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or B.C. First Nation poised to build luxury private hospital to serve medical tourists and wealthy Canadians Back to video

Patients could drink a nice bottle of wine

The hospital would overlook Lake Okanagan, and feature 10 operating rooms, a full lab and an international-calibre chef.

“Patients could drink a nice bottle of wine the night before [their surgery], and there will be chefs preparing food,” Chief Robert Louie told the Vancouver Sun last year.

Westbank officials have said previously they were in talks with Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Hospital to construct the $125-million facility. The band would provide the land, but was seeking partners to cover financing for the facility, which the chief said would not include an emergency ward, obstetrics unit or psychiatric ward.