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Nurses support doctors' call for health care Task Force, oppose privatization
The BC Nurses' Union supports the BC Medical Association's call today for a Task Force to develop ways to fix the province's health care system.
"We need a plan for getting the health care system working properly in this province," says BCNU President Debra McPherson. "We welcome the BCMA's idea of an immediate Task Force to get the process going quickly. And we look forward to working with the BCMA and other health care stakeholders in approaching the new provincial government to get things started."
McPherson said the Task Force needs to look at news ways to plan and govern the system so we can avoid crises in the future, such as the current shortage of health care professionals, and the critical over-reliance on nurses working overtime.
The BCMA called for the Task Force in a policy paper released today on the future of BC's health care system.
BCNU is interested in another recommendation in the paper: to remove day to day administration of the system from the Ministry of Health. Instead, an independent arms-length body would be created to manage the vision for health care as developed by the provincial government.
While the union does not agree that regional and community health authorities should be reduced to advisory status only, BCNU concurs that the 34 community health councils should be amalgamated into the 7 community health services societies, thereby reducing the total number of health authorities in the province from 52 to 18.
"We particularly agree with the BCMA that our health care system requires long-term planning and long-term funding commitments of at least three years," says BCNU president Debra McPherson. "Under the current system, many significant problems have been allowed to develop. We are especially encouraged that the BCMA is calling for short-term action to retain and recruit health care professionals.
"The Ministry of Health and other senior bodies running health care, such as the Health Employers' Association of BC, have presided over a situation that has led to the current crisis - where there are more than 1,000 vacant nursing positions, not enough nurses to provide the care needed by British Columbians, and a serious over-reliance on nurses working overtime."
At the same time, BCNU is completely opposed to privatization and the expansion of private sector involvement in health care.
For more information contact:
| Debra McPherson |
209-4253 |
| Art Moses Communications coordinator |
868-4259 |
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