Standing up for public health care

MLA Report

By Carole James

Government cannot do everything, but at the very least it can start with the basics. And there is nothing more basic to our wellbeing than health care. But unfortunately, government is letting British Columbians down when it comes to health services.

Canada has a proud history of public health care that stretches back more than 50 years. But our public health care system in B.C. is being eroded by a government that isn’t taking care of current needs, or planning well for future needs, leaving citizens without the health care when and where they need it.

In the 2013 election campaign, the BC Liberals promised that everyone would be able to access a family doctor by 2015. The “GP for Me” program, they called it. Well, it’s 2015, and guess what? They have not delivered on that promise – and the situation has actually gotten worse. A backlog of 176,000 British Columbians looking for a family physician in 2010 has grown to more than 200,000.

As a result, our walk-in clinics are bursting at the seams and many British Columbians are receiving hallway medicine instead of quality care. Many of my constituents, like Diana, are having to wait two and three hours at overburdened walk-in clinics just to see a doctor.

Diana is very concerned about how many people are in her situation, unable to find a family physician, and stuck receiving substandard health care. I share Diana’s concerns – and those of other constituents who have contacted me about this issue. I, too, have gone through this in the past year, with my family doctor retiring.

The government must do more to train doctors, encourage them to set up family practices, support other health practitioners, and alleviate this enormous burden on B.C. health care system. We need action now!

Wait times for surgeries are also a significant problem here on the South Island, and throughout the province. Patients in Victoria are waiting 38 to 58 weeks for hip replacements and 22 to 37 weeks for knee surgeries, for example. In April, 1,265 people were waiting for a colonoscopy at the city’s two hospitals.

We know the challenges are great, but we need to find an approach that works to better treat citizens who are in pain and suffering from such long waits.

A new report by the Seniors Advocate, released last month, details failure upon failure by the government to care for and support our province’s most vulnerable seniors. The Official Opposition and advocates have been speaking up about problems of abuse and neglect of seniors for the last 14 years and three years ago, the ombudsperson laid out more than 150 recommendations to fix the problems this government has created. Those recommendations have been largely ignored.

I hear frequently from families who have elderly loved ones who cannot find a long-term care placement and are stuck in a hospital bed. That’s not cost effective and certainly doesn’t provide good quality care.

Then, as the Seniors Advocate has noted, some seniors are being admitted to residential care when they could still be living independently with adequate home supports. The system must provide better support for our seniors who can still live in their own homes and just need a little help to stay independent, mobile, and healthy.

Addressing these issues isn’t always about the money. It’s often about using the resources we have more wisely, and making better use of professionals like nurse practitioners and midwives. It’s also about more efficient use of our facilities, like community health centres, to reduce costs and provide better quality care.

As always, I appreciate hearing your views on this topic and any others of interest to you and your family. Please contact me at:

1084 Fort Street
Victoria, BC V8V 3K4
Phone: 250 952-4211
Carole.James.mla@leg.bc.ca
www.carolejamesmla.ca