British Columbia has been experiencing the worst healthcare system operations in Canada on the brink of collapse. There’s no signs of it getting any better any time soon considering the BC NDP has announced it will now be sending cancer patients to out of province hospitals for treatment.
The BC NDP have campaigning hard on bragging about how great public health is and their inability to bend a tiny bit on private healthcare in British Columbia and certain mandates saying it “doesn’t want that U.S. style health care” in B.C.
Supposedly U.S style private health care is so terrible that it can handle its own patient loads plus spill over from British Columbia.
Recently Adrian Dix, the minister of health for BC u-turned and became pro private health care for cancer treatment as long as they are shipping British Columbians out of province and costs taxpayers triple the amount.
“Right now I look at these numbers and say we have to take immediate action,” said Dix. “I strongly believe we had to do it, to take action immediately.”
An option to receive radiation therapy in Bellingham, Washington for some patients will be part of a temporary initiative to reduce wait times and increase capacity in the province’s cancer care system.
Adrian Dix, the minister of health for BC, said on Monday, May 15, 2023 that starting on May 29, eligible patients with breast cancer and prostate cancer would be able to receive treatment at one of two clinics south of the border in Bellingham, Washington.
According to Dix, taxpayer will foot the bill via government spending and will cover any additional costs of travel or accommodations for the duration of the treatment.
The BC government is ear marking $39 million to cover the cancer treatment initiative.
About 2,400 patients per year will be sent to Bellingham, Washington radiation therapy which “would cost $3,854 at home, compared with $12,277 at the private cancer centres in Bellingham. This does not include other expenses such as travel, accommodations and meals for the patient and a caregiver, which easily amounts to thousands more.” reported Globe and Mail.
Dix decision to send cancer patients to private health care facilities runs contrary to remarks he made earlier this year, Adrian Dix celebrated the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) for upholding a ban on private clinics billing patients for certain treatments.
“Today’s decision affirms our ongoing efforts to preserve and uphold our public healthcare system and confirms the legal arguments heard at the BC Supreme Court and the BC Court of Appeal,” Dix said.
“It sends a strong message that our nation’s highest court supports the principles of universal healthcare, where access to medical care is determined by a patient’s needs, not their ability to pay their way to the front of the line.”
Dix isn’t just facing criticism for turning to private health care when he campaigns hard against it he also got called out for running contrary to statements he previously made regarding mandates.
The leader of the BC Conservative Party John Rustad accurately pointed out Dix is proving the Covid-19 vaccine mandates imposed on health care workers in British Columbia is not about patient health because the government is sending patients to see unvaccinated health care workers in the U.S.
“Minister Dix says vaccine mandates protect BC cancer patients, yet now he’s sending cancer patients to Washington state for treatment. Washington lifted their mandates ages ago… what a hypocrite!” Rustad said in a tweet adding.
He added “It’s time to cancel Bill 36, end mandates & hire back healthcare workers.”
Bill 36 is a new law critics and health care workers say the BC NDP “passed undemocratically” which will remove the process of elected members to the board of the physicians colleges, impose Covid-19 vaccine mandates on health healthcare workers in British Columbia and eliminate patient doctor confidentiality.
The BC government is possibly marching itself head on with legal action and face consequences that could cost taxpayers a lot of money because of willful government policy failure.
“I am skeptical that this latest order would stand up to a legal challenge” BC’s former Attorney General Suzanne Anton wrote. She went on to explain the April 6, 2023 order had many statements and opinions of the PHO but had “no actual science” presented to back it up.
The orders created by Dr. Bonnie Henry “should only be made in the face of a genuine health emergency, which we no longer have in B.C.” Anton pointed out. The only other hold out province is Nova Scotia while the World Health Organization had also rescinded its emergency order for Covid-19.
“People intuitively know through their own experience that the vaccine does not prevent infection or transmission. Moreover, most British Columbians have immunity either through vaccination or natural immunity. People are genuinely puzzled as to why the HCWs have not been invited back to work.”
This isn’t the first time the BC NDP have lacked providing evidence in regards to public health order decision making. The Covid-19 response lessons learned review showed the BC NDP government was extremely secretive and always neglected to provide supporting evidence and rationale around decision making, exclusively reported by BC Rise.
The COVID-19 Lessons Learned Review also revealed B.C. Ministry of Health was the main contributor to erosion of public trust.
The BC Conservative Party leader John Rustad has been fighting tirelessly together with thousands of health care professionals and concerned citizen to stop Bill 36. Last month he dropped off a petition at the BC legislature with over 17,000 signatures calling for Bill 36 and the Covid-19 vaccine mandates for healthcare workers to come to a full stop.
