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Op-Ed: BC Conservative critic’s view on current health-care system

"Paramedic shifts unfilled, ambulances sitting empty, emergency rooms closed" ~ BC Conservative Health Critic

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BC ambulance and paramedic. [web]
CANADA-USA NEWS & ANALYSIS

Friday January 17, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC

Opinion-Editorial by Dr Anna Kindy, MLA (North Island) | Health Critic in the BC Conservative shadow cabinet


Health care under the NDP: Paramedic shifts unfilled, ambulances sitting empty, emergency rooms closed

After graduating from the University of Alberta medical school in 1986 and completing a rotating internship at St. Mary’s Hospital in Montreal, my first posting as a doctor was in Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon, Quebec. 

andna kindy, mla, north island
Dr Anna Kindy, MLA (North ISsand) is the BC Conservative Health Critic {BC Conservatives]

This coastal community of fewer than 1000 people, just south of Labrador, had a small hospital serviced by general practitioners. Part of the job was flying to remote outlying communities by plane or helicopter (weather permitting) to either see patients at nursing stations or evacuate individuals experiencing a medical emergency.

I remember one incident distinctly. 

A patient was having cardiac issues and since we couldn’t fly because of the weather, we attempted to evacuate him in the middle of the night with a single engine boat manned by two people, one running the engine and the other a flashlight. Tragically, the patient did not survive. 

You don’t have to be a doctor to know delays in providing health-care can lead to worsening patient outcomes or death.

That is why the job of a paramedic is so important. They are truly on the frontlines: the first to see, treat, and transport the patient to the hospital. It is not an easy job, and the shift work they perform has been shown to shorten one’s lifespan. 

On top of everything, in the last few years, paramedics have been working full tilt partly because of the overdose crisis. The sirens of ambulances attending to an opioid overdose have become commonplace in British Columbia. Meanwhile, stories of seniors experiencing bad falls or heat stroke but waiting hours for an ambulance have also become commonplace. 

In B.C.’s rural communities, there are frequent emergency department closures due to a lack of nurses and/or doctors. My husband and I worked in Port Hardy in the early 90s when the Port Hardy Hospital emergency department was open 24/7. But for nearly two years now, the emergency department has closed promptly at 5:00 pm. After 5:00 pm, ambulances must transport patients to Port McNeill, roughly 40 minutes south.

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BC Emergency Health Services, which funds the paramedics, are running a deficit of $200 million. BCEHS recently cut back on overtime and stated that overtime is not an efficient way to meet their staffing needs. But according to the paramedics’ union, this move to save money by cutting overtime pay has resulted in more unfilled shifts – more ambulances sitting empty.

The ministry of health decided to turn part-time and casual paramedic positions into full-time, but that has not helped EHS recruit. They cannot keep up with paramedics retiring or resigning.

What was not taken into consideration is that some people cannot work full-time and others are casual because other commitments prevent them from setting a regular schedule.

We are left, then, with dissatisfied paramedics that cannot plan their overtime, ambulances sitting empty, and patients being put at risk.

We need to support our frontline health care workers – that includes paramedics, LPNs, nurses, doctors, lab techs, and so many more. The risk of burnout is real, and confidence in our health care system is dropping as patients suffer or die on wait lists.

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When we compare Canada with other OECD countries that have universal health care (e.g. Australia, New Zealand, European nations), it turns out we spend more on health care relative to GDP than most of these countries, yet we have fewer doctors and acute care beds, and we are the worst performer for wait times.  

Since my husband and I have been practicing medicine, we have seen bureaucracy balloon under B.C.’s health authorities – there are 10 vice-president positions within Island Health alone.

We must audit all hospitals, health authorities, and the ministry of health. We need to eliminate duplication and waste, streamline processes, and redirect money to where it will be used to directly improve patient care. 

That means redirecting the money to the frontline.

===== EDITOR’s NOTE:

  • The BC Health Minister is Josie Osborne (NDP MLA for Mid Island-Pacific Rim).
  • Three Parliamentary Secretaries report to the Minister of Health: Susie Chant (Seniors’ Services and Long-Term Care), Debra Toporowski (Rural Health), and Amna Shah (Mental Health and Addictions).
  • During 2017 to 2024 the BC NDP Health Minister was Adrian Dix.
  • The 43rd BC Parliament will being the spring sitting on February 18, 2025.
  • BC Budget 2025 will be released on March 4, 2025.
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