WHEREAS there has been a reduction of services offered in small rural hospitals, including the withdrawal of minor operating procedures, which also places an added burden on regional hospitals; AND WHEREAS there are many isolated, rural communities in British Columbia where severe winter road conditions are often encountered and can impede travel to regional hospitals: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government allocate the required resources and permit local physicians to perform minor operating procedures in remote rural hospitals.
Ministry of Health Regionalizing specialty services ensures patients receive the highest quality of health care. In fact, the move to regionalize was endorsed by the organization that represents doctors in British Columbia, the BC Medical Association, in its report Turning the Tide. The reports many recommendations included decisive support for regionalizing specialty services in regional referral hospitals. Across Canada, there has been a move toward regionalizing specialty services in larger hospitals that serve a broad population. Within the context of a world-wide shortage of specialists, having doctors practice together in groups at a larger hospital means they can guarantee 247 coverage without burning out single doctors. In addition, better care for patients occurs in hospitals where there is a full range of services. A patient requiring a critical life-saving surgery needs not only the surgeon, but also anesthetists, radiologists, internists, specialized nursing, or other clinicians many of which are also in short supply. Given these factors, it is not possible to provide all services in all sites, so the best option is to consolidate services to a single regional referral centre. With a critical mass of general practitioners, specialists, nursing staff and others, there is justification for significant investment in the physical plant and equipment at a regional referral hospital. Regional referral hospitals are located in Cranbrook, Kelowna, Kamloops, Trail, Prince George, Nanaimo, Victoria, North Vancouver, Vancouver, New Westminster, Surrey, Burnaby and Richmond.