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

VICTORIA – A re-elected BC NDP government will open a new Urgent and Primary Care Centre (UPCC) in the Capital Regional District, 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 Diana Gibson, BC NDP candidate for Oak Bay–Gordon Head. “A new UPCC would mean more people can get the care they need when they need it.”
The new UPCC would be the eighth in the Capital Regional District, 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.
“British Columbians deserve to know what the Conservatives’ $5 billion fiscal gap would mean for their health care,” said Gibson. “You can’t promise tax breaks for the wealthy, leave a massive hole in your fiscal plan and expect there to be no consequences. By asking the wealthiest four per cent to contribute a little more, 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.
The Conservatives’ combination of tax breaks for the wealthy, a $5 billion fiscal gap and openness to US-style private health care risks shifting the system away from care based on need and toward one where people who can afford to pay can jump the queue.
People in Greater Victoria 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.