Fraser Valley – From the NDP media release of March 17,
Health Minister Josie Osborne and Premier David Eby shared that the B.C. NDP government’s program to recruit American healthcare workers has succeeded in bringing 414 healthcare workers to B.C., 105 of them to jobs in the Fraser Health Authority.
This includes 78 nurses, 3 doctors, 22 nurse practitioners, and 2 allied health professionals in Fraser Health alone, serving Surrey, Langley, Maple Ridge, and other communities.
“Every place in Canada is feeling the strain of a shortage of healthcare workers. In B.C., we’re using every tool we have to fight that challenge, and it’s paying off,” said Amna Shah, B.C. NDP MLA for Surrey-City Centre. “I’m thrilled that there will be so many new nurses and doctors seeing patients in Fraser Health. There is more work to do, but this program has been a big step in the right direction.”
B.C. Conservative MLAs who serve the Fraser Health region opposed the program and called for it to be cut. “What an irresponsible, reckless, idiotic, waste of tax payers money,” said Heather Maahs, B.C. Conservative MLA for Chilliwack North.
Jody Toor, MLA for Langley-Willowbrook came out against the program even when it was already seeing early results: “We should be asking: was this really money well spent?,” she said in September.
This is just one example of how B.C. Conservative healthcare cuts would mean fewer doctors and nurses.
“There are 105 new health care workers taking care of people in Surrey, Langley, and neighbouring communities who wouldn’t be here if these B.C. Conservatives had their way,” said Garry Begg, B.C. NDP MLA for Surrey-Guildford. “Fortunately, we said no to those Conservative cuts. People in Surrey and Langley will have better healthcare because of it.”
The B.C. NDP’s plan to retain, recruit and train more healthcare workers also includes the new SFU Medical School in Surrey, which begins training future doctors in September. Construction of the new state of the art Surrey hospital and Cancer Centre is well underway.
