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

PARKSVILLE – A re-elected BC NDP government will open a new Urgent and Primary Care Centre (UPCC) in Parksville-Qualicum Beach, giving more people access to timely care for illnesses and injuries close to home while helping ease pressure on hospital emergency departments.

“Strong communities need health-care services that keep up with people’s needs,” said Stephanie Higginson, BC NDP candidate for Ladysmith–Oceanside. “A new Urgent and Primary Care Centre would give people another place to turn when they need medical attention, helping connect them with care sooner and easing pressure on emergency departments.”

UPCCs provide patients with team-based, same-day 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.

“Investing in health care means expanding access to services like a new Urgent and Primary Care Centre where people can get same-day care,” said Higginson. “The BC NDP knows that demographics in Oceanside make access to timely primary care even more important. We have made great progress in Oceanside, attaching over 2,000 people in two years to a family doctor or nurse practitioner. This UPCC will ensure our residents have access to care while we continue the critical work to attach everyone to a primary care practitioner."

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 Oceanside 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.