BC Nurses on the 2012 BC Budget

Courtesy of the BC Nurses Union:

Historically thin increases for healthcare leave no room to implement Ombudsperson’s report on seniors’ care, to address hospital overcrowding or to stop cuts in community services.

Historically small increases projected for healthcare spending in today’s provincial budget leave virtually no room to implement improved staffing to support seniors as recommended by the provincial Ombudsperson in an extensive report released by the government this month.

At the same time the budget provides no resources to health authorities across the province to deal with increased overcrowding that’s forcing nurses to care for patients in hospital hallways, closets, TV lounges and other areas not appropriate for patient care.

“Today’s budget demonstrates the government is paying only lip service to the needs of seniors and others needing care from our public healthcare system,” says BC Nurses’ Union President Debra McPherson, “The budget provides health authorities no resources to ensure patients are safe as they languish in hospital hallways or wait at home for limited community-based support or for placement in a long term care homes,” says BC Nurses’ Union President Debra McPherson.

“It shows the government has its priorities all wrong. Instead of boasting about keeping taxes low and the prospect of a balanced budget just before the next provincial election, the government should be addressing the serious deficit in the quality of healthcare and other services for BC citizens.”

Earlier this month the government finally released the report of the provincial Ombudsperson into the state of seniors’ care. The report called for extensive improvements including the establishment of standards for staffing in residential care facilities, increased direct care for seniors and improved community supports to help keep seniors in their own homes.

Rather than address these problems, today’s budget sets British Columbia on three years of extremely tight healthcare budgets that will force health authorities to continue to cut services and staff at a time when greater staffing is needed to meet increasing needs of an aging and growing population.

Projected increases in healthcare spending drop precipitously from more than six percent in the year just ending, to only 2.9 per cent in 2012-13, 3.7 per cent in 2013-14 and 2.9 per cent in 2014-15, which is not enough to keep up with population growth and inflation.

“This sets the stage for chaos throughout the healthcare system and there’s no need for it,” McPherson says. “The government could have supported the needs of patients and seniors with more realistic funding if it wasn’t for this misguided priority to show no deficit when facing the voters next year.”



Read it on Global News: Global BC | B.C. Nurses Union responds to budget