"Patients
who need surgery are angry and frustrated that the treatment
they pay for isn't there for them when they need it …
All British Columbians deserve better from our public health
services."
New Era Document (BC Liberal Election Platform),
page 18
The
BC Liberal complaint about wait lists was accompanied by
a graph showing the increase in wait lists from 1995 to
2000. Gordon Campbell's book of promises devoted 8 pages
to health care. It included a promise to "Fund health
regions at a level necessary to meet the needs of the people
who live there, regardless of where a service is provided."
On April
7th, with the Campbell government approaching its second
anniversary in power, Opposition Leader Joy MacPhail focused
on health wait lists in question period. Health Minister
Collin Hansen had done the same thing when he was opposition
critic so he should have anticipated what was to come. After
pointing to a 21% increase in wait lists since the Liberals
took power, MacPhail asked Hansen to "point out to
us where in the New Era document it says that under a Liberal
government the number of British Columbians on wait-lists
would grow?" Hansen declined to offer any timeline
for reducing waiting lists and waiting times. The next day
Province columnist Mike Smyth devoted his column to the
topic of wait lists and major papers throughout the province
covered the issue that MacPhail had highlighted. Best of
all, Global TV rushed to the defense of the government with
a confusing piece that ran just before the sports. Could
that kind of media coverage be why the government gives
the Opposition less than half of the 15 minutes allocated
for question period? (The backbenchers lob friendly questions
to their friends to burn up the rest of the time.)
The
Ministry of Health set up its wait list website when the
NDP was government. As health critic, Hansen made reference
to it as he questioned the Ministers of the day. The website
is still operating at http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/waitlist/index.html.
It provides detailed information on the waits for several
types of surgery. On April 8th the site said it was last
updated on March 20th, but its data was as of February 28,
2003. Historical data showing wait lists as of June and
December since 1997 is also available on the site but the
tables have not been updated to include the December 2002
numbers. The historical page was last updated on October
17, 2002. Despite those weakness a few mouse clicks is all
it takes to get the numbers for December 2000 (the last
set of data on the site before the government changed) so
as to make comparisons with February 2003.
There
were 8,501 people on the wait list for general surgery in
December 2000. In February 2003 that list had grown by 52%
to 12,907. There were 1,597 on the wait list for hip replacements
in December 2000. In February 2003 that list had grown by
54% to 2,454. There were 12,397 people on the wait list
for eye surgery (other than cataracts) in December 2000.
In February 2003 that list had grown by 39% to 17,183. Could
it be that the government has not updated its historical
charts since October 2002 because they so clearly show that
the Campbell government is failing in its promise to deliver
health care when and where people need it?
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