BC NDP promises to upgrade health care services, Liberals tout economy

BURNABY (NEWS 1130) – The BC NDP is promising to build urgent care centres if it wins the next election. The pledge comes as many people in this province continue to struggle to find family doctors. Party Leader John Horgan sat down with people at a news conference in Burnaby this morning where he outlined his plan.

The urgent care centres he’s promising to build are essentially facilities that would have more services than a walk-in clinic, but not at the level of a hospital.

Horgan doesn’t have a number of just how many his government would build, if elected. He says the party would start with a “handful” and go from there, based on demand.

“Christy Clark and the BC Liberals are letting patients down. [About] 700,000 people in BC don’t have a family doctor, forcing them to wait for hours in lines at walk-in clinics or hospital emergency rooms for care,” argues Horgan. “Christy Clark promised more doctors. In fact, a GP for me was a program that they advocated for many, many years and then finally gave up on it two years ago when they knew they weren’t going to meet their targets.”

Horgan insists his plan could be paid for within the existing health care budget. “We’re going to make sure people get the health care services they count on. We’re going to build urgent care centres and make team-based primary care the model for primary care in BC. People who need help will get it faster and it will relieve the pressure on emergency room,” adds Horgan.

BC Liberal Leader Christy Clark continues to hammer the theme of job creation and sticking with success as she campaigns in the heart of NDP territory on Vancouver Island. She started the day at a helicopter company in Campbell River and says low commodity prices have complicated economic recovery on the Island. But she also says unemployment in the region has been cut by half under Liberal governments and more jobs are possible.

BC Green Party Andrew Weaver is also on Vancouver Island today where this afternoon he is expected to release another portion of his party’s platform.

The provincial election is on May 9th.

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