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Nurses on Central Vancouver Island keep the pressure up on Gordon Campbell to commit to solving the health care crisis
On Saturday April 28, nurses from the Central Island will impress upon Liberal Leader Gordon Campbell the importance of supporting BCNU’s key goal for nursing and health and will be asking him to be specific about his platform commitment on increased accountability of health authorities and union representation on regional health boards.
Nurses will be out in full force at the Liberal campaign meeting at 11:30 am Saturday in Duncan to ask Mr Campbell to sign on to the key problem facing BC’s health care system: the nursing shortage and the need for globally competitive wages to address it, so that BC can retain and recruit the Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses needed to provide quality health care to the people of the province.
"We want Mr. Campbell to show us that he is committed to solving the health care crisis and to do that he has to stop hiding behind the claim that he can’t answer our questions, or sign our pledge, because we are involved in collective bargaining", says Cathleen Hansen, BCNU Lobbyist Coordinator. "It’s time for the public to hear in this election campaign if Mr. Campbell and his party are truly prepared to take action on defending health care in this province."
As well, nurses want reassurance that he will live up to other election promises. Nurses who work for the Central Vancouver Island Health Region have been silenced from speaking out publicly on issues that impact the quality of health care.
"This practice has got to stop. We want to know what the Liberals are prepared to do to ensure that regional health boards are accountable to the public they serve and that nurses concerns will be heard," states Hansen.
Nurses will continue to lobby all politicians throughout the province to seek specific commitments from candidates about what they will do if elected to address key health care issues.
For more information contact:
| Cathleen Hansen, Lobbyist Coordinator, cell: |
1-250-954-5343 |
| Shirley Ross, BCNU Campaigns Officer, cell: |
1-604-209-4258 |
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