David Eby to deliver better care, hire 45,000 new health care workers

BC NDP

British Columbia has been a leader in Canada by hiring 45,000 health care workers over the last five years. (Pexels photo)

Rustad’s plan for deep cuts and American-style two-tier healthcare would drive doctors and nurses out of public hospitals

COQUITLAM – At a roundtable discussion with Coquitlam seniors and health care workers, David Eby shared his plan to deliver better care by hiring 45,000 new health care workers over the next four years.

“No matter where you live in the province, you deserve strong public health care to be there when you need it – whether you’re caring for an ageing loved one or looking to start a family of your own,” said Eby. “Our plan will deliver hospitals that are close to home and enough nurses, doctors, and health professionals to care for you when you’re sick or hurt. We’re going to keep building and hiring, not cutting and firing.”

The BC NDP action plan has added over 800 new family doctors and attached almost 250,000 people to primary care in the last year alone. British Columbia has been a leader in Canada by hiring 45,000 health care workers over the last five years. At this pace, and with the new actions Eby has proposed, B.C. will add another 45,000 in the next four years.

Eby was joined via Zoom by Dr. Habib Rehman, a United Kingdom doctor who has been planning to move to B.C. to practice here. Dr. Rehman and his wife, also a doctor, see British Columbia as a model of the measures taken to improve public health care and attract health professionals under the BC NDP.

“My wife and I have seen the devastating effect of Conservative cuts on health care in the UK. It’s the reason we want to move and practice in a place that invests in public care and treats health professionals with respect,” said Dr. Rehman. “John Rustad’s plan for cuts and privatization could sadly make us reconsider moving to B.C. We’ve seen this movie before and urge British Columbians to choose a strong public health care in this election.”

When John Rustad was in the old BC Liberal government, he slashed health care budgets and doubled medical premiums. Rustad fired 10,000 health care workers, which hurt the quality of care for seniors. On his watch, 9 out of 10 care homes did not meet minimum standards.

“John Rustad’s record shows you’d pay more and wait longer for worse care. That’s a risk we can’t afford,” said Eby. “Rustad’s plan for deep cuts and American-style privatization would drive doctors and nurses out of our hospitals – and out of the province. We’re finally making progress attaching hundreds of thousands of people to family doctors. We can’t give up now.”

David Eby and the BC NDP will take action to add another 45,000 health workers over the next four years by:

• Building a new medical school at SFU’s Surrey campus to train the next generation of family doctors. This will be the first new medical school in Western Canada in over 50 years.

• Introducing a new loan forgiveness incentive tied to a guarantee health workers will stay in B.C., making it more attractive for the doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals we’re graduating to stay in our communities – for a minimum of five years.

• Helping internationally trained doctors and nurses off the sidelines and into our hospitals. Adding to the over 900 internationally trained doctors who have been licensed to practice in the past year

• Making B.C. the best place in Canada to be a nurse, with expanded education opportunities, better working conditions, and more time with fewer patients so they can focus on life-saving care.

• Getting out-of-province health professionals delivering care sooner by requiring BC’s health regulatory colleges to provide provisional licences immediately to Canadian-trained providers and within six weeks for providers from approved jurisdictions.