ELECTION ’24 – Ensuring reliable healthcare for Kamloops-North Thompson and rural B.C.

Posted on July 25, 2024 in Feedback // 0 Comments

Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital.

ArmchairMayor.ca welcomes submissions from candidates on issues in the Oct. 19, 2024 provincial election.

By WARD STAMER,
BC Conservative Candidate,
Kamloops-North Thompson

Residents of North Thompson and rural B.C. deserve a reliable healthcare system — this is not an option but a necessity. Unfortunately, healthcare in B.C. is in crisis, particularly in rural areas where emergency room availability is increasingly uncertain.

Ward Stamer.

In the past five and a half weeks alone, the Interior Health Authority region has experienced 41* partial or full-day closures of emergency departments, including seven at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital in North Thompson. These closures, coupled with limited notice, extended delays in basic care, and an acute shortage of nurses, highlight the repeated failures of B.C.’s healthcare system under the administration of Minister Adrian Dix.

Our party’s healthcare platform, unveiled by party leader John Rustad on Thursday the 18th, proposes several specific measures to assist rural communities across B.C., including Kamloops-North Thompson communities like Chase, Barriere, and Clearwater. Key points of our plan include:

Reinstating healthcare workers who are currently out of work due to personal healthcare decisions.
Expanding programs to incentivize doctors and nurses to work in high-need rural and remote communities.
Expanding access to care and reducing long wait times.
Helping British Columbians find a family doctor.

Many jurisdictions worldwide have successfully integrated secondary levels of care within universal healthcare systems to improve service delivery. A BC Conservative government will adopt these models to enhance all levels of healthcare delivery, ensuring continued services and treatments covered by the BC medical plan.

Our new ‘Patients First’ Healthcare Model promises universal healthcare for everyone under a single-payer system, delivering care through both public and non-governmental facilities. Under a Conservative Party of BC government, the only card you will ever need to access healthcare in British Columbia will be your BC Health Card — guaranteed!

We will also streamline the layers of bureaucracy within our Health Authorities, simplifying the coordination of healthcare services delivery. Implementing a standardized doctor accreditation process and allowing more nurse practitioners into our system will alleviate some of the pressures we face today. Additionally, welcoming back medical professionals who were not vaccinated will help address chronic shortages.

We recognize the need for improved coordination of emergency services, particularly in rural and semi-rural areas where residents are often more than the “golden hour” away from a hospital. This includes enhancing ambulance services and making air ambulance services more readily available for all British Columbians.

Previous BC Liberal (now BC United) and current NDP governments have ignored data predicting these healthcare shortages. This will change under a Conservative Party of BC government led by John Rustad.

The people of Kamloops North Thompson and rural BC deserve a reliable healthcare system.

This is not optional—it is essential.

*IHA closures between June 15 and July 22