May 10, 2005

SURREY – Premier Gordon Campbell announced today that hospital services will be expanded in Surrey, with the fast-tracking of a review to determine the best long-term health care solution for Surrey.

“Surrey is one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada, and the Emergency Room at Surrey Memorial Hospital is the second-busiest in Canada,” Campbell said. “Yet for 10 years, the NDP government failed to invest to meet the needs of patients in Surrey.

“The BC Liberals have already launched a $28 million investment toward planning and building the much-needed Emergency Room expansion at Surrey Memorial. The recent flooding of the Operating Room shows that we need to accelerate that planning. That’s why a re-elected BC Liberal government will fast-track a review to determine the best comprehensive, long-term hospital solution for Surrey.”

“We need to know what the best hospital solution is for Surrey – and we can’t afford to wait another year. Whatever the recommendation, it will be made by local health professionals. It will be based on what’s right for patients in Surrey. And we will act on the findings this year. The money will be there in our budget and shovels will be in the ground by 2008.”

The review will be completed in partnership with municipalities, the Fraser Health Authority, and the Ministry of Health Services. The government will receive the report, and act on its recommendations by the end of this year.

It will examine a range of options for tackling the long-term pressures on Surrey Memorial. Those options include, but are not limited to:

• Expanding Surrey Memorial Hospital
• Replacing the existing hospital with a brand new hospital
• Building a specialized, day-patient facility to ease pressures at Surrey Memorial
• Adding a second facility in Surrey.

Campbell noted that the Fraser Health Authority already owns land at Highway 10 and 152nd being held in reserve for a possible facility, and that property will be considered as part of the recommendations.

“A BC Liberal government will act immediately on the report’s findings, to serve the needs of patients in Surrey as quickly as possible. Obviously, this capital expansion plan will be a multi-year endeavour. But I guarantee all Surrey residents that they will see significant and sweeping improvements made to their acute-care access, with construction underway by 2008.”

“We will build on the successful model that is now being used to complete the new Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre, working together with private investors, and a broad range of health care providers. That model is saving $39 million on the cost of the project, all of which is being reinvested in enhancing and improving patient care.”

Fraser Health has received an additional $200 million in operational funding alone over the last four years – the largest increase of any health authority. Fraser Health is more than half way through its action plan to address short-term pressures at Surrey Memorial with 20 new sub-acute-care beds opened in March, 10 new palliative-care beds opened, and five complex-care beds have been upgraded. Other upgrades and projects are in progress and interim ER upgrades will be completed this fall.

“We’ve made real progress in addressing the short-term pressures at Surrey Memorial and across the area,” said Campbell.

“I’d like to pay a special tribute to the medical staff and hospital workers at Surrey Memorial, as well as police officers and firefighters, for their extraordinary efforts and dedication in so quickly restoring patient services that were impacted by the flooding. I also want to thank the staff at surrounding hospitals – Delta, Langley, Peace Arch, White Rock, Royal Columbian – who took in the patients who would have gone to Surrey Memorial,” said Campbell. “The exceptional efforts of all of these front-line workers shows that the public can have confidence in our health care services, even in an emergency.”