Conservatives slam NDP as BC communities experience yet another weekend of ER closures

The Conservative Party of British Columbia has urged voters to ditch the NDP and "put patients first" in the upcoming election amid yet another weekend of emergency room closures.In communities across the province, those needing urgent care were informed that between Friday evening and Monday morning, they would need to travel to nearby hospitals due to a shortage of physicians.."Our healthcare system continues to collapse," the party wrote in a post on X. "On October 19, put Patients First."Interior Health was among the hardest hit, with five hospitals announcing temporary emergency room closures. On Saturday, the departments at Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake and Arrow Lakes Hospital in Nakusp were closed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., respectively. Those needing emergency care in the former were urged to head an hour north to Quesnel or five hours west to Bella Coola, while those in the latter were told they could find what they needed in Revelstoke or Nelson, which are both around two hours away.On Sunday, Nakusp was listed in another round of overnight closures alongside Nicola Valley Hospital and Health Centre in Merritt, and 100 Mile District General Hospital. South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver was also slated to close between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Monday. Patients in all the aforementioned communities were asked to seek care in facilities hours away. Interior Health has been dealing with emergency room closures for months, however over the summer they have become more frequent, impacting a growing number of communities. Further south in the Fraser Valley, a "temporary service adaptation" was put in place at Mission Memorial Hospital between 6 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. on Sunday. In a press release, Fraser Health informed potential patients that "emergency-trained nurses will continue to be on site and available to support walk-in patients needing basic first aid, assist with re-direction of care, and/or transfer patients with urgent needs to a neighbouring hospital."In July, Conservative leader John Rustad announced the party's healthcare platform, vowing to expand access to care, reduce wait times, and ensure patients and employees alike are treated with respect."Our healthcare system is in crisis, and it’s time for a change," Rustad stated. “British Columbians deserve timely access to quality care without the endless waits and bureaucratic red tape. Our plan puts patients first, ensuring they receive the care they need when they need it."He noted that, according to Canadian Institute for Health Information data, "wait times for priority surgery procedures have worsened over the past decade under the current government and over 180 ER closures have been reported throughout BC in 2024 alone.""This is simply unacceptable," Rustad lamented. "British Columbians deserve better. We must act now to stop this trend and ensure our emergency rooms remain open and accessible to everyone."