BC ELECTION: Longterm care is the big health issue

The NDP now trail the Liberals by just two percentage points in an Angus Reid poll released on Friday. [Globe and Mail] Of course, who knows if those numbers are accurate measurements of voters' intentions? A Mustel Research Group poll released just yesterday had the Liberals, led by Premier Gordon Campbell (right), nine points ahead of the NDP. [CBC News] Simon Fraser political scientist Kennedy Stewart's prediction model has the Liberals winning another majority. [The Tyee]

One of the biggest healthcare issues in the campaign has been longterm care and the number of new longterm care beds created by the government. The NDP -- backed on this claim by the BC Medical Association -- blasted the government for failing to create the 5,000 longterm care beds it promised. The government maintains that it has indeed met that goal despite the fact NDP Carole James said Health Minister George Abbott has admitted they only created 800. [CTV News]

"It's important for British Columbians to understand that these numbers are part of a bigger story that includes surgical wait times and backlogged emergency rooms," Joyce Jones, the community co-chair of the BC Health Coalition, wrote in an op/ed last month. "A shortage of long-term care beds doesn't just affect seniors and their families. It can also mean that beds needed for surgeries and for patients admitted through the ER are being used by people who are, in turn, waiting for space in long-term facilities." [Vancouver Province]

Longtime NDP health critic Adrian Dix warned the Georgia Straight of what he said would be forthcoming cuts in health funding by the Liberals if they win the election. "This government will use the recession as an excuse to reduce the quality and coverage of public health care, and there will be severe consequences." Health Minister George Abbott told the newspaper Mr Dix's allegations were untrue and pointed out that 90% of new spending budgeted over the next three years will be for healthcare. Tom Bradfield, a Green Party candidate, said his party opposed the Liberals' deregionalization of the regional health authorities that administer healthcare locally. The Green Party would like to see a return to health authorities that are better connected to their communities, he said. [Georgia Straight]

Last month, Premier Gordon Campbell of the Liberal Party promised $20 million in new spending to help HIV-positive residents of the notorious downtown eastside neighbourhood get improved access to antiretroviral therapy. Phillip Banks of the Health Initiative for Men, however, accused Mr Campbell of ignoring the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the gay community. [Xtra]

The Vancouver Sun endorsed the Liberals but acknowledged "there are some persistent issues." The first issue the newspaper raised was rising health spending. "Then again, no Canadian premier of any political stripe has been able to deal effectively with spiralling health care costs or get a better bang for the dollars spent... Muddling through with incremental improvements is the best that Campbell or any other premier can achieve within the public system." [Vancouver Sun]

If you're interested in reading more about the problems the Liberal government has encountered and has created in the healthcare sector, look no further than the latest issue of the BC Hospital Employees' Union magazine The Guardian (PDF).

The BC Health Coalition, which has been a staunch opponent of the Liberal government's on health policy, has published a "Voters’ Guide to Party Platforms on Health Care" comparing the Liberal, NDP and Green Party positions on major issues. [BC Health Coalition (PDF)]

You can read the parties' official platforms for yourself here: Liberal (PDF), NDP (PDF), Green.

Meanwhile, Libertarian Party president Paul Geddes told the libertarian magazine the Western Standard his party's position on healthcare. "People are different. We don’t all fit into the 'one-size-fits-all' lowest common denominator government monopoly health plan. Some want more service. Some want less. Some want completely different services... The government should not prevent BC citizens from making private agreements with the health providers of their choice." [Western Standard]

And, because it's difficult to resist, we recommend you watch the bizarre anti-Gordon Campbell ad produced by the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union, entitled "Gordon Campbell Hates You." Find it here. And if you enjoy that, don't miss the equally strange "Gordo Five-O" in which Mr Campbell is portrayed as a drunk. The Vancouver Sun called it "humorous" -- with the scare quotes. Online here.

Photo: Gordon Campbell, BC Liberals

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