BC United health-care plan would use private health providers to cut wait times

BC United has unveiled its health-care platform ahead of October’s provincial election and is promising big changes to the system if it forms government.

Leader Kevin Falcon pledged Wednesday to develop a “patient Bill of Rights” if elected.

Key to that plan would be the re-introduction of private health providers to deliver publicly-funded care.

“We are going to make sure that the patient is at the centre of the decision making, meaning that if a patient needs to get care and are languishing on public waiting lists, we are going to get that patient care if it’s in a private clinic, absolutely,” Falcon said.

“Private delivery of publicly funded, care is going to be part of how we’re going to deal with the kind of waitlists that we have today. Patients will not have to personally pay anything. It will be publicly funded, but privately delivered, where it makes sense.”

The email you need for the day's top news stories from Canada and around the world.

The plan would also see a BC United government set new targets for waitlist times.

Falcon said his government would also improve transparency around accessing health data, pledging to provide B.C. residents with access to their health records via a mobile device within two years.

The prospect of integrating more for-profit healthcare provision drew swift condemnation from the Health Sciences Association, a union representing 22,000 health-care and social service workers.

“Private delivery results in longer wait times, reduced capacity in the public system, poor service for the public and poor pay for the specialized health care professionals who are already worn out and ready to quit,” the union said in a statement.

British Columbians are scheduled to go to the polls on October 19.