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

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

“When you or someone in your family needs medical care, you want to know there’s somewhere to go,” said Dana Lajeunesse, BC NDP candidate for Juan de Fuca–Malahat. “A new Urgent and Primary Care Centre would give more people in our community a place to turn for same-day care, without having to wait days for an appointment or spending time at the emergency department.”

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.

“We know we need to keep investing in health-care services so people can get the care they need, when they need it,” said Lajeunesse. “Families depend on these services, and we should be expanding access to care in our communities, not cutting the services people count on.”

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 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 south Cowichan 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.