I recently travelled with British Columbia New Democrat Leader John Horgan to communities like Merritt, Ashcroft, Logan Lake, Kamloops, Quesnel and Prince George.
In community after community, people told us that they rely on walk-in clinics and hospital emergency rooms for medical care because they can’t get a family doctor.
Care in these walk-in clinics is limited – and many close their doors by noon after taking in a certain number of appointments.
Throughout B.C., a lack of access to family doctors and nurse practitioners, crowded emergency rooms and hallway medicine have left many feeling like our health-care system isn’t delivering.
It is worse in small and rural communities where emergency rooms may be closed and residents can wait six weeks or more to see a doctor.
Imagine how it feels to show up at the emergency room with a family member in need only to be greeted by a “closed” sign.
This is the reality people in Logan Lake have been living with for the past 17 months. They can drive to Ashcroft 45 minutes away – only to find that the emergency room there is closed several days a week. Then they have to get back on the highway and travel to Kamloops to find an open hospital emergency room over an hour away.
When it comes to specialist care, not only do families outside of the Lower Mainland have to travel long distances to get the health care they need, they often have to pay the costs for medical travel out of pocket. If their child or spouse needs care that’s not available where they live, they have to take time off work and pay for travel and accommodation in another community.
What’s even more frustrating is the B.C. Liberals are wasting precious health care dollars while at the same time denying British Columbians health care where and when they need it.
The Auditor General just released a report showing the B.C. Liberals wasted $115 million on another failed computer system. This is one of many.
In total, the B.C. Liberals have spent almost $1 billion on failed and broken computer systems since they became government. That’s nearly $2 for every second they have been in government – wasted.
B.C. families deserve better than they are getting from this government.
We should be investing in the innovations we need to keep public health-care strong, such as team-based care, specialized public surgical clinics and improved access in rural communities. These innovations have all been tested and proven to work in other provinces and here in B.C.
John Horgan and the B.C. New Democrats know how important health care is to you and your family and we’ll continue fighting for the health care you need and deserve.
Judy Darcy is NDP MLA for New Westminster and the B.C. New Democrat spokesperson on Health
