The NDP's news release to "address doctor shortage" is a damning indictment of the NDP's own record on doctor shortages and shows a stunning lack of understanding by Carole James of the NDP's negligence around this issue, let alone the BC Liberal's solutions which are already underway.
The NDP Record:
- There has been a doctor's shortage in BC because in the 10 years that the previous NDP government was in power, the NDP did not add a single medical school seat, and now we are playing catch up.
- There were 120 first-year medical training spaces in 1991 and 120 in 2001. The NDP did nothing to address the looming doctor shortage.
- In one year alone (1998), 35 rural physicians left their communities because of NDP policies.
- The NDP's release points out that BC had 3.2 medical spaces per 100,000 people, the lowest of any province. But they omit the fact that this number is from 2001 – the NDP's last year of government! Thanks to the BC Liberal's medical school expansion, this number will be 5.5 per 100,000 people.
What the BC Liberal Government has done:
- Expanded BC’s medical schools, adding campuses at UNBC and UVic – which means these doctors are more likely to stay in these regions where they are needed.
- By 2008, there will be 896 doctors in training at any given time in BC, up from 488.
- Attracted the largest number of doctors from other parts of Canada in 2003, according to the most recent Canadian Institute of Health Information report.
- Doubling the number of residencies in BC to 160 this year, from 128 in 2002/03, and will increase it every year, to 256 residencies by 2010/11.
- Speeding up approvals for foreign doctors practicing medicine on temporary work permits in British Columbia so they are able to gain permanent resident status more quickly – in as little as 6 months instead of 3 years.
Here are the results:
- The total number of physicians in BC increased from 8,105 in 2001 to 8,348 in 2003, according to CIHI.
- B.C. has one of the highest rates of physicians per 100,000 population – up from 197 physicians per 100,000 population (2001) to 200 physicians per 100,000 population (2003). The Canadian average in 2003 was 187 physicians per 100,000 population.
- Health Match BC, which recruits rural physicians and nurses for the province placed 131 physicians in 2003 – including seven new specialists and five GP's in Cranbrook, two specialists and one GP in Trail, four specialists and one GP in Prince George, two GP's in Port Hardy, one GP in Vanderhoof and one GP in Fort Nelson.
