Conservatives’ $5 billion fiscal gap puts health-care investments at risk

VICTORIA – A re-elected BC NDP government will expand the hours at the Edmonds Urgent and Primary Care Centre (UPCC) from evening and weekends only to full-day service, giving more people access to timely care for illnesses and injuries close to home while helping ease pressure on hospital emergency departments.

“Everyone deserves access to timely health care close to home. Urgent and Primary Care Centres provide same-day care for people who can’t wait days for a family doctor appointment, but don’t need an emergency department,” said Raj Chouhan, BC NDP Candidate for Burnaby- New Westminster.

“Opening the Edmonds UPCC for full-day service, seven days a week, means more people can get the care they need when they need it,” said Dr. Baldev Sanghera, Medical Director of the Edmonds UPCC.

The expansion of hours at the Edmonds UPCC would make it the second full-day UPCC in Burnaby alone, connecting patients with team-based care for non-emergency health concerns that require prompt attention. Services can include treatment for minor injuries, infections, sprains, cuts and other common illnesses that need timely medical attention but do not require an emergency department visit.

The commitment comes as the BC Conservatives face a $5 billion fiscal gap in their plan, raising serious questions about how they would pay for their promises. The Conservatives have said health care would “bear the brunt” of spending cuts, putting investments in services like UPCCs at risk.

“People in Burnaby deserve to know what the Conservatives’ $5 billion fiscal gap would mean for their health care,” said Janet Routledge, BC NDP candidate for Burnaby North. “You can’t promise tax breaks for the wealthy, leave a massive hole in your fiscal plan and expect there to be no consequences. The BC NDP is choosing to protect and strengthen the public services people rely on, including better access to health care here in our community.”

David Eby’s plan builds on the 48 UPCCs already opened across B.C. and includes tripling successful recruitment of health-care workers from the United States, coordinating surgical waitlists across regions to lower wait times, and adding more MRI and CT scanners to help people get the care they need sooner.

People in Burnaby deserve a health-care system that puts patients first, expands access and delivers care when they need it. The BC NDP is focused on strengthening public health care for everyone – not putting its future at risk.