Health Care Cuts a Betrayal Says James

By 250 News

Victoria, B.C. – Despite the Campbell government’s election promise to protect health care, the Fraser Health Authority confirmed deep cuts are coming to patients in Fraser Health, Carole James and the New Democrats said today.

James was referring to the FHA report released late yesterday afternoon, that says it will cut up to 9900 surgeries, downgrade ERs, slash services for mental health and addictions, reduce diagnostic services and cut seniors care.

“These cuts will lead to people waiting in pain longer,” said New Democrat Leader Carole James. “The cuts will do long-term damage to public health care in the region to make up for the B.C. Liberals duplicity and incompetence.”

The Fraser Health Authority report yesterday outlined cuts which include:

- 10 to 15 percent of scheduled surgeries from Sept. 09 to March 10

- Freezing of MRIs at last year’s budgeted levels

- 11 contracts ended for mental health services including programs to assist victims of abuse

- Ending contracts for the New Westminster Domestic Violence Response Team

- Ending 12 Seniors’ programs in Abbotsford, Burnaby, Chilliwack, Langley, Maple Ridge, Mission, New Westminster, White Rock and the Tri-Cities

- Closures of residential care beds

- Closures of two seniors day care programs in Tri Cities and cuts in day programs in Burnaby, Mission, Agassiz, Port Coquitlam, Abbotsford and White Rock

- Mission Memorial ER downgrade

- Hospitalists program downgrade.

- Closure of beds at Fraser Canyon Hospital in Hope

- Significant new fees to patients for ambulance transfers

“To get elected, Premier Campbell and the every B.C. Liberal MLA promised British Columbians that they would protect patient services,” said James. “The deep health cuts announced late yesterday at Fraser Health puts a lie to that promise and confirms the Campbell government did not tell voters the truth.

“The Premier sat beside me in the 2009 Leader’s debate and promised British Columbians that his government would protect health care– his words,” said James. “Now, after the election, British Columbians are faced with dramatically longer wait times and long-term damage to the health care system. This is a betrayal of public trust.”

New Democrat Health Critic Adrian Dix said the cuts at Fraser Health are on top of planned cuts at every health authority in B.C. “The Campbell government knew that they would cut patient care and hid that from the public,” said Dix.

“In February, the New Democrats said there would be at least a $320 million shortfall at the health authorities. Then Health Minister George Abbott said there would be ‘no budget shortfall’," said Dix. "We said there would be deep cuts in patient’s services, such as the surgical cuts, as announced yesterday, and Mr. Abbott said we were ‘fear mongering.’

"The Campbell government is attempting to overstate the administrative cuts they are making and underestimate the dramatic impact on patient services," noted Dix. "Yesterday, they claimed their service cuts added up to only $15 million, an estimate that is demonstrably untrue. And not one of the B.C. Liberal Cabinet Ministers or the Premier is around to take responsibility for this fiasco.

"The truth is now clear. They knew what they were saying was untrue."

James said that the B.C. Liberals have combined deception with incompetence in their mismanagement of public health care. She said that hiding the truth has resulted in last minute planning, leading to short-sighted cuts that will have a lasting impact on the delivery of public health care.

“The Campbell government has badly mismanaged public health care, consistently putting their own short-term political interests ahead of British Columbians,” said James. “The deep cuts to surgeries and patient care at Fraser Health are a vivid illustration of that deception and incompetence.”

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