THE BC Conservatives said on Thursday that the concerns about insufficient staffing at Kelowna General Hospital and poor performance of Interior Health at large were flagged by five Thompson-Okanagan mayors three years ago to then-health minister Adrian Dix. Dix, now energy minister, chose to do nothing in response.
In a letter dated September 14, 2022, but only seen publicly for the first time on Thursday, the then-mayors of Kelowna, Kamloops, Vernon, Penticton, and West Kelowna raised concerns about staffing problems, emergency department closures, lack of communication from the senior leadership at Interior Health, lack of funding for addressing complex care, and the list goes on, they said.
“What we are seeing now in B.C. is a system-wide failure of all health authorities, as well as the Ministry of Health,” said Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island and Conservative health critic.
“For years, the ballooning bureaucratic system has failed to listen to potential solutions from the frontlines, and even created a culture of censorship and reprimand for advocating for better healthcare.”
“This is not unique to Interior Health,” said Brennan Day, MLA for Courtenay-Comox and Conservative critic for seniors’ and rural health.
“This is a problem where leadership is not listening to frontline workers or local voices. They take a ‘we know best’ approach, and that’s clearly not working. The situation is so toxic that the Opposition had to create an anonymous tipline in order to help people feel safe to speak out about this crumbling healthcare system.”
“This is a smoking gun. When the mayors spoke out three years ago, Dix ignored them. Now, the new health minister, Josie Osborne, is sitting on her hands and hasn’t even taken the initiative to make an urgent visit to Kelowna General Hospital,” said Kelowna-Mission MLA Gavin Dew.
“Let me remind everyone that the pediatric unit at KGH is currently shut down because Interior Health has failed to create the conditions for retention. I am reiterating my call that Interior Health President and CEO Susan Brown must step down, and Minister of Health Josie Osborne must step up and lead.”
Background on tipline:
MLA Brennan Day is encouraging health care workers, patients, and families to contact him through a confidential tipline he has created to share stories about systemic failures in BC’s healthcare system.
“For too long, staff have been silenced by fear and intimidation. This tip line is about protecting whistleblowers, empowering frontline voices, and exposing the reality that management continues to deny. If you have experienced or witnessed issues in the healthcare system, contact Brennan Day’s office by email at brennan.day.MLA@leg.bc.ca,” say the BC Conservatives.
