BCHCM Blog
Learn, educate and act
Let’s send the new Health Minister of BC our Christmas wish list. Now’s the time to make our voices heard! Let’s ensure she knows what British Columbians need to see changed in the healthcare system to live healthier lives.
With the ongoing Canada Post strike, there’s never been a more crucial time to ensure you have access to your online medical records. Look up your health authority on our resource page and register today.
I am absolutely confident that a physician assistant (PA) or nurse practitioner (NP), set up in an examination room in ER, could easily have seen/assessed/treated 1-2 dozen of such patients in 2-3 hours, administering perfectly adequate care allowing patients (like myself), that need to be seen by an MD without unacceptable delays. The same applies to the number of waiting patients in family practice clinics. It should be stressed that over-saturated ERs are not due to inadequate hospital facilities. Rather they represent an abject failure of provision of PC. In this regard, Canada resides near the bottom of over 20 OECD countries in wait times to see a doctor.
As healthcare continues to be a pressing issue in British Columbia, it's essential for voters to engage with political candidates on matters that directly impact the well-being of our communities. Asking the right questions ensures that candidates are not only aware of the challenges facing our healthcare system but are also prepared to advocate for meaningful reforms. This guide highlights critical questions voters can ask candidates running for MLA positions to gauge their commitment to improving healthcare services, ensuring transparency, and addressing the gaps in accessibility, staffing, and funding. By fostering informed dialogue, we can hold our future leaders accountable and push for a healthcare system that works for everyone. - Share the responses you get with us on our blog, or Facebook Group.
BCHCM requests meeting with BC Health Minister and BC Premier concerning the ABSENCE OF MEDICAL CARE in Nanaimo General Hospital.
Join Camille Currie and guests Dr. Vanessa Young and Dr. Fred Voon for the first ever BCHCM Virtual Townhall: Matters of Health Care. This upcoming Thursday, February 9th, 2023 at 6:30 PM
BC Health Care Matters President Camille Currie will join CBC’s The Current Matt Galloway for the “Canadians Living Without a Family Doctor” Public Forum
We are proud to announce that BC Health Care Matters president and founder, Camille Currie, has received the Doctors of BC Excellence in Health Promotion Award
TAKING STEP TO IMPROVE OUR HEALTH - Weekly Event Starting Feb 1
Join us while we walk around the Legislature demonstrating that WE are taking steps to improve our health, and we expect our government to do the same.
We see people across all provinces and even across many countries, struggling with their healthcare system. It can feel like the issue is too big and that each of us is too small to make a difference. If you’ve had this thought you are not alone. We would encourage you to pause and ground yourself in the moment. If you focus on the here and now, on your family and community, you will see more clearly that this is an issue you can have an impact on and one your community NEEDS you to advocate for.
Up to 68% of residents in some BC communities don’t have a family doctor
Join us, on October 22nd for our We Need Doctors NOW! Rally - Victoria BC
BCHCM requests Auditor General Investigation…With the limited information available now, it is impossible to determine if we are getting good value for the head office expenditures in MOH and health authorities. Would some portion of that funding be better redirected to front-line care?
BC Health Care Matters Letter to Premier candidates.
Is there a lack of money or have poor choices been made?
64 Vice Presidents across 5 Health Authorities (HA) and one Provincial HA.
We want to hear from you, whether you don’t have a doctor, or if you have one but aren’t able to get the health care you need. Share a selfie of you holding up a few words that describe why having a family doctor matters to you.
Comment: Family doctor shortage is dangerous for pregnant people and babies
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“Two women with complex health-care needs are getting loud with their calls to fix a broken health-care system.”
Now only 1 woman remains
Navigating Your Cancer Diagnosis Without a Family Doctor - My Cancer Journey by Tanya Sunshine
We want to hear from you, whether you don’t have a doctor, or if you have one but aren’t able to get the health care you need. Share a selfie of you holding up a few words that describe why having a family doctor matters to you.
“CTV News has obtained a copy of the document, which tells patients at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital that while an emergency room physician determined they needed to be there, “you are admitted to hospital but without a physician overseeing your ongoing care.” “
BCHCM strongly recommends this article which is an apolitical analysis of our primary care (PC) crisis, with suggested ways that both provincial and federal governments could implement a positive change. We have chosen several of its topics to summarize and to add our own comments.
We must raise the questions, be skeptical, and advocate for the proper functional system we all need. We will not cower from anyone, we will not take "good enough", we will not blindly trust the government's word without any measurables, we are the People of BC and we must stand together.
There are few people that can explain so clearly how Bill 36 will affect us the patients and Dr Lush has done it with this commentary. "Why should you, as British Columbians, be worried about Bill 36? It compromises your right to confidentiality, and it creates a climate of suspicion and mistrust between the government and your health-care professionals."
It is no secret that our healthcare system has been on the brink of collapse. With almost 1 in 5 residents of BC without a family doctor, many are struggling to get any sort of medical care. Private health care clinics can be seen as an option by people in need of medical care. However, what we see in these clinics is NOT private health care. It’s patients being charged for access to public health.
We’ve seen various forms of private health care emerge in our province and we have questions. Is this sector properly regulated? Is the government watching and monitoring what these private companies are doing? Are these companies exploiting the desperate residents of BC in need of healthcare? Are they exploiting and burdening the already crippled health care system?
We can only speak for BC but our Premier and our Health Minister have not given us any reason to believe that they don't need accountability measures put in place....UPCCs need we say anymore?…
118 Million support funding, disingenuous statement? We believe so. What the government and Minister Dix failed to highlight for us was that the 47 million that would come from GPSC wasn't all new money.
Up to 68% of residents in some BC communities don’t have a family doctor
Physician Assistants start in BC: far too few and embarrassingly overdue.
Colwood Walk in Clinic Re-opens
Concern over B.C. ramping up virtual health care
Healthcare Wish List for Santa
Merritt Mayor withholding tax from Province
Our Care BC Final Report
Four ways to interpret ‘normal’ comment
Nanaimo General Hospital emergency room 'chaotic' and unsafe, says veteran doctor.
B.C. health care crisis: No doctors available for hospitalized patients
“CTV News has obtained a copy of the document, which tells patients at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital that while an emergency room physician determined they needed to be there, “you are admitted to hospital but without a physician overseeing your ongoing care.” “
Canada’s primary care crisis: Federal Government response.
BCHCM strongly recommends this article which is an apolitical analysis of our primary care (PC) crisis, with suggested ways that both provincial and federal governments could implement a positive change. We have chosen several of its topics to summarize and to add our own comments.
Bill 36 - Comment: Bill gives government sweeping power over your health care
We must raise the questions, be skeptical, and advocate for the proper functional system we all need. We will not cower from anyone, we will not take "good enough", we will not blindly trust the government's word without any measurables, we are the People of BC and we must stand together.
There are few people that can explain so clearly how Bill 36 will affect us the patients and Dr Lush has done it with this commentary. "Why should you, as British Columbians, be worried about Bill 36? It compromises your right to confidentiality, and it creates a climate of suspicion and mistrust between the government and your health-care professionals."
Private Health Care on the Public Dime?
It is no secret that our healthcare system has been on the brink of collapse. With almost 1 in 5 residents of BC without a family doctor, many are struggling to get any sort of medical care. Private health care clinics can be seen as an option by people in need of medical care. However, what we see in these clinics is NOT private health care. It’s patients being charged for access to public health.
Private Care in BC: Charging for Access to a Publicly Funded Doctor?
We’ve seen various forms of private health care emerge in our province and we have questions. Is this sector properly regulated? Is the government watching and monitoring what these private companies are doing? Are these companies exploiting the desperate residents of BC in need of healthcare? Are they exploiting and burdening the already crippled health care system?
Provincial Health Ministers Meeting
We can only speak for BC but our Premier and our Health Minister have not given us any reason to believe that they don't need accountability measures put in place....UPCCs need we say anymore?…
118 Million in support funding disingenuous statement?
118 Million support funding, disingenuous statement? We believe so. What the government and Minister Dix failed to highlight for us was that the 47 million that would come from GPSC wasn't all new money.
68%, 40%, 25% - unattached patient ratios
Up to 68% of residents in some BC communities don’t have a family doctor