Health critic says spend surplus on hospital beds

By Vernon Daily Courier staffThursday, July 20, 2006 http://www.dailycourier.ca/article_379.php

Not long after the provincial government announced a $3.1 billion surplus, a chorus of people began suggesting ways the government could lighten their cash load.One of those appealing to the government is NDP health critic Adrian Dix who suggested that the money be spent on increasing the number of hospital beds in the B.C. Interior. Considered one of the worst physical sites in the Interior, Vernon Jubilee Hospital would be a prime candidate for additional beds, Dix said.“We know there’s a bed crisis in the Interior; anyone who visits a local (hospital) knows that it’s a problem,” he said.However, health minister George Abbott said there is no chance the surplus will pay for more hospital beds because making a one-time payment on a long-term expenditure is not sound accounting practice.“What the surplus allows us to do is to have a very substantial capital budget for this year and two years ahead,” he said.A further barrier to opening up more beds is a shortage of nurses. Abbott estimated that the Interior Health Authority has 300 fewer than is needed. In Kamloops 30 new long-term care beds have yet to open because there are no nurses to staff them, he said.“It’s fine to talk about adding new beds but it means absolutely nothing if there aren’t any nurses to staff those beds,” he said.The health ministry boasts the B.C. government’s largest capital budget at $1.8 billion and Abbott said he expects the surplus will address some of the needs for upgraded health care facilities. One of the biggest needs is at Vernon Jubilee.“I don’t mind telling you that Vernon Jubilee Hospital is a facility that is a very high priority for me – one of the highest in the province,” he said. “The population base has long since outgrown the ongoing capacity.”Dix suggested that Abbott join him in Vernon Jubilee’s emergency department so that they can spend a night observing the obstacles staff are facing.“I think that would be an excellent way for us to spend an evening and assess the situation there,” he said.Dix said he blames the current crisis on the Liberal government not living up to their promise of providing 5,000 new long-term care beds while cutting back on existing beds. He added that the federal government is pouring in $2 billion more than they did when the NDP was in charge, much of that money is earmarked for health care.“I don’t think people are getting the sense the money is going where it should be,” he said. A solution is needed now that includes not only more beds but more hospital staff to service those beds, Dix said. “Vernon, Kamloops, Kelowna are among the most desirable places in the world to live,” he said. “When we can’t staff hospitals (in the Okanagan) at a sufficient level something is wrong.” Abbott said that he is perfectly willing to visit Vernon Jubilee and as a Sicamous resident has been to the hospital in the past. He said he is hoping to schedule a meeting soon to talk to staff at the local facility.