BC NDP leader John Horgan hosted an open talk on health care Monday evening in at the Coast Inn of the North.
Almost 50 people turned out to sound off on the state of health care in Prince George with many sharing horror stories.
The lack of seniors assisted living beds in PG was a recurring issue throughout the night.
Horgan says he and healthcare critic Judy Darcy visited the Gateway Assisted Living Centre Monday morning and were impressed with what they saw.
“Particularly the opening of the third floor. That allowed the facility managers to segregate patients more effectively so those with dementia are not necessarily in the same wing as those who are not suffering from dementia. That’s a step in the right direction.”
He says that the region needs more funding for more centres like Gateway, as it has been full since it opened its doors.
A UHNBC nurse got emotional when she spoke about a 200 plus person waiting list for long term care beds, saying the backlog takes up acute care beds.
The room also heard several stories from people who struggled to get to Vancouver for treatment.
“The story that Tony told us tonight, about the situation that his wife was in.” Horgan said “Acute pain for almost a month before she could get access to healthcare in Vancouver. And then no ticket back; a three day drive because she couldn’t sit in a car for that length of time after the procedure.”
Horgan says that stories like that have been common outside of the lower mainland; he visited Quesnel Sunday.
“Particularly in a community like Prince George, we should be able to provide those services to the community here, and we need to look at ways to make sure those services can be delivered.”
As for how exactly the NDP would pay for improvements to the system within the constraints of a balanced budget, tax increases to the very wealthy were at the top of the list. Horgan repeatedly blasted recent tax breaks for the top 2% in the province.
He also pointed out instances of waste both in the healthcare system and in other sectors.