File photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

HEALTH CARE FUNDING

As premiers push for federal dollars, Kamloops MLA urges province to take immediate healthcare measures

Jul 11, 2022 | 4:09 PM

KAMLOOPS — Canada’s thirteen premiers are meeting in Victoria this week for the first face-to-face Council of the Federation since the start of the pandemic. Premier John Horgan will be playing host and also serving as the council’s chair. Ahead of the meetings, Horgan stated there is unified support for reworking the healthcare funding model.

Horgan said the premiers want to see the federal portion of healthcare funding increase from 22 per cent to 35 per cent.

Kamloops MLA Peter Milobar is hopeful more funding could be coming to the province, but notes there is important work to do while the government waits for the cheque.

“Until that commitment is made, the premier, the health minister need to step in, they need to properly address what is going on in health care in British Columbia. Their signature program is these urgent primary care centres, which themselves are woefully understaffed. Let alone what is happening in our hospitals and our healthcare clinics and our lack of walk-in clinic access as well,” said Milobar.

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The Council of the Federation is hoping to secure a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by the fall to discuss the changes.

With continued hospital closures in the Interior and staffing levels routinely well below average, Milobar questioned how the province could be short on funding.

“The premier talks about a lack of funding, but when you consider we are running at a 50 per cent staffing complement across health care right now, there should be enough money to get us up to three-quarter per cent staffing. When you look at Clearwater and you have a never-ending closure — 15 per cent of 2022 they have been closed — it’s simply not acceptable. It puts pressure on Kamloops, as well,” said Milobar.