The Miracle

People being put at risk by Christy Clark’s neglect of hospitals

- by: John Horgan

We expect hospitals to be there for us in our time of greatest need. Unfortunat­ely, after 16 years of neglect from Christy Clark and the B.C. Liberals, our health care system is failing to keep up with the needs of B.C. families. This neglect is putting the health and safety of people at risk. Overcrowdi­ng of emergency rooms has become a constant issue in many hospitals. In Abbotsford, doctors raised the alarm about emergency room overcrowdi­ng after the deaths of Nimrat Gil, a 3-year-old girl who died after she was sent home with over-the-counter painkiller­s, and Mary Louise Murphy, who also died after being sent home from the emergency room. In Surrey, at least one doctor has come forward and said people will will die because of the overcrowdi­ng of Surrey Memorial Hospital’s emergency room. Jean Donaldson, a Port Moody senior, went to Eagle Ridge hospital after suffering a brain bleed. She ended up spending more than a day in a bed in a hallway beside the gift shop, lying beneath a plaque thank-

ing pital. Overcrowdi­ngsue mond,about pital’sup Christyhav­ethe and to her safetyno withno even whetherfor Northplan Clarkthere plansof our hera for patients moderatean­d Tower donationsa­re hospitals.is thein servingthe not place Richmondde­ep B.C.in wouldthe earthquake.thisthe to to In concernson­ly Liberalsth­e addresspeo­ple tower,Rich- standhos- hos- isof earthquake Richmond that if causesther­e is the a hospitalse­rious towerEvent­he towerif to crumble.thereis over isn’t 79 an per earthquake,cent deficient, expensivea­nd it to will maintainon­ly becomeit over time. more Unlike Richmond Christyfor granted, Clark, I who would takes upgrade the Richmond Hospital and ensure people in Richmond have access to quality healthcare when they need it. And I would ensure our hospitals have the resources they need to keep our emergency rooms running smoothly. It is clear Christy Clark hasn’t made health care a priority. Instead of fixing problems in our hospitals, she chose to give the richest people in B.C. a billion-dollar tax break. And ordinary people are suffering because of that choice. People shouldn’t have to pay $20,000 to go to dinner with Christy Clark in order to get her to do basic things like take care of our hospitals and ensure people have access to health care. The premier of B.C. should be working for the people of British Columbia. But Christy Clark is working for lobbyists, corporatio­ns and other rich donors who gave her $300,000 on top of her salary. That’s why she doesn’t worry about the things that matter to ordinary people – things like access to safe and effective health care and well-maintained hospitals. After 16 years of B.C. Liberal neglect, everyday people deserve a premier who is on their side, a premier who puts the needs of everyday people first.

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