April 30, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
On June 6, 2008, the Vernon and Districts Taxpayers' Association delivered a petition with 18,000 + signatures to the Campbell Government demanding funding equity for Vernon Jubilee Hospital (VJH) in order to serve the residents of North Okanagan - Shuswap, a population of approximately 135,000 (with a large aging population), not the 82,000 we are funded for. This demand was for additional operating rooms, acute care beds and permanent nursing staff.
Result? Nothing. Silence from our Liberal MLA Mr Tom Christensen. We have not even been informed that our petition has been presented in the Legislature.
And the situation at VJH? Critical, dangerous, unacceptable. The daily census often climbs to 160 with 115% the norm ( which is 95%), patients are discharged too early, scheduled surgery is cancelled, the wait time for cancer surgery is 4x the acceptable level.
The response in the press from the Interior Health Authority (IHA)? They are doing an external review! Why? In order to ignore the findings as they did in 1999? We have been told by the front line workers what the problem is--funding inequity for the population served.
Also, they are telling us to just hang on until the new Tower is built. Hopefully, it will be built 'on time' in 2011, but if Abbotsford is any indication the Tower will not be ready in 2011 and we need it--NOW! And the cost? In 2008, the IHA press release announced the new Tower at $80 million; today they put that figure at $160 million, 40% paid by the taxpayers of the North Okanagan - Shuswap=$64 million! And then we only get two floors to be developed at a later date.
The workers on the front line have suggested a cost effective and immediate solution-- a dedicated emergency operating room. An emergency operating room would require no immediate physical infrastructure renovation, training of staff or other human resources. The number one cause for delay of discharge is that the patient is 'waiting for surgery'. With a dedicated emergency operating room patients would be discharged in a timely manner. A cost effective and immediate solution.
The reason VJH is doing 'so many surgeries' is simple--VJH accepts patients from Salmon Arm, Revelstoke, Nakusp and Lake Country, BUT Kamloops gets the funding. Why? Because Kamloops is a 'tertiary hospital' and giving an emergency operating room to VJH would set a precedent. We suggest that giving an emergency operating room to VJH would set a precedent to actually fund the hospital according to the needs of the population.
All that is needed is the funding for that emergency operating room--a modest proposal. And to get that funding in place IHA needs to think outside the box of their definition of 'tertiary hospital'.
Reminds one of that old adage: when you're up to your ears in gnashing alligators, you forget about draining the swamp.
We, the taxpayers of the North Okanagan - Shuswap demand action. Fund the designated emergency operating room at VJH--immediately.
Contact: Antony Stamboulieh
Vernon & Districts Taxpayers' Association
250-260-1082 antonystam@shaw.ca
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