B.C. NDP promises more MRI and CT capacity and a regional surgery wait-list if re-elected

B.C. NDP Leader David Eby announced on Oct. 6 that, if he and his party are re-elected, they would add eight MRI machines and 10 CT scanners and create a coordinated regional surgical wait-list to address long waits for medical appointments. Eby said waiting for a scan or surgery can mean living with pain and worrying daily about when a call will come. With the population growing and aging, he said, the province needs to keep hiring health-care workers and investing in equipment to reduce waits.

The party says surgical wait times can range from 10 to more than 50 weeks, depending on the surgeon to whom a patient is referred. Eby’s plan would match patients with available capacity across their region. The party says patients could also choose a particular surgeon, an appointment at their closest hospital or the shortest possible wait. It projects the new machines would increase the province’s diagnostic capacity by about 15 per cent.

A recent Angus Reid Institute poll found that 42 per cent of B.C. voters consider health care one of the most important issues in deciding which parties and candidates to support. Eby also said Conservative Party Leader Lorne Doerkson’s promise to “slash the deficit” without asking the wealthiest earners to pay more could mean “deep cuts” to the health care families rely on.

The Conservatives say they would protect health-care funding. They have promised to hire and retain more doctors and nurses, help rural medical practices at risk of closing, and put $50 million into an emergency fund. They also say they would train more doctors in B.C., bring home Canadians who studied medicine abroad and speed up international credential recognition. The B.C. NDP has separately promised to triple its U.S. recruitment campaign. The party says it has hired 1,800 specialists and added 21 MRI units and 15 CT scanners since it was first elected. The provincial election is on Oct. 24.