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May 10 • 5 tweets • 5 min read
In Q1 of 2022, Telus Health increased their revenue by $17 million.

Should a for-profit corporation be generating substantial profits in BC’s publicly funded #healthcare sector?

Today I asked @jjhorgan exactly that. He did not answer. 1/ #bcpoli #Health theglobeandmail.com/business/artic…
Minister of Health @AdrianDix responded by saying healthcare in BC is more public than it was 5 years ago.

It’s hard to square the expansion of for-profit corporations in the #healthcare sector with “becoming more public.” 2/ #bcpoli #health
Telus has been actively expanding its healthcare business, charging thousands to individuals for access to primary care.

Access that is meant to be covered by our universal healthcare system. And it’s not just Telus. 3/ #bcpoli #healthcare #BCHealth
It’s Maple Healthcare, owned by Shoppers Drug Mart.

It’s Harrison Healthcare, owned by Copeman Medical.

For-profit corporations are settling into our healthcare system, and I am worried about what the future will hold. 4/ #bcpoli #healthcare #BCHealth
We’ve asked time and again on this issue and we are not getting a straight answer nor does the @bcndp seem worried.

Do they welcome the corporatization of #healthcare? Their lack of action on this file seems to suggest so. 5/5 #bcpoli #health

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More from @SoniaFurstenau

Sonia Furstenau Profile picture
May 10
There is no healthcare without #Nurses.

Yet they are forced to work in conditions that aren’t safe or respectful.

Nurses want to keep going, but fear they don’t have anything left to give. 1/
#bcpoli #NurseStaffingCrisis #HelpBCNurses #healthcare @BCNursesUnion ImageImageImageImage
Last night @AdamPOlsen and I attended a vigil to mourn the impacts recent years have had on nurses and our #healthcare system.

Today, alongside hundreds of #nurses, we attended their rally in front of the Legislature to demand action and respect. 2/ #bcpoli #NurseStaffingCrisis
Shift after shift, #nurses are providing care in packed medical units and packed ICUs.

Staffing shortages have resulted in unacceptable nurse-to-patient ratios, endangering patients, and over-burdening nurses.

All of this and nurses are being denied essential PPE. 3/ #bcpoli
Read 4 tweets
Sonia Furstenau Profile picture
May 10
Earlier today we posted this tweet - it was reductionist. Our Caucus apologizes for the confusion.

The low carbon fuel standard is a positive near-term policy to reduce emissions from fossil fuels as we look to eliminate their use. 1/ #bcpoli
Trust on #ClimateAction must be earned. This gov't is currently in court fighting to be less transparent & accountable on its emission reductions targets. 2/ #bcpoli
They still have not figured out how to meet our #CleanBC targets while subsidizing LNG Canada.

Nor have they ruled out expanding LNG Canada into Phase 2. 3/ #bcpoli
Read 6 tweets
Sonia Furstenau Profile picture
May 9
It is #NationalNursingWeek - the @bcndp will take this opportunity to say they support #nurses.

But the reality in BC is that nurses are being denied PPE.

And staffing shortages are resulting in unacceptable nurse-to-patient ratios - actively endangering patients. /1 #bcpoli
In 2021, the @BCNursesUnion found:

35% of the #nurses they interviewed were more likely to quit in two years as a result of the pandemic.

82% of BCNU members noted a decline in #MentalHealth during the pandemic and 65% noted a decline in physical health. /2 #bcpoli #Health
.@BCNursesUnion President Aman Grewal has stated that nurses “are not allowed to share this reality openly.”

Today I asked the Minister @AdrianDix about this culture of fear preventing #nurses from speaking out and what he is doing to improve the situation. /3 #bcpoli #health
Read 5 tweets
Sonia Furstenau Profile picture
Apr 27
The IPCC Report states that “shifts to public transport can enhance health, employment, and can elicit energy security and deliver equity.”

I commend the @bcndp for promoting a greener future by enabling transit-oriented development through #Bill16 1/ #bcpoli #Transit
Bill 16, the Transportation Amendment Act, grants the BC Transportation Financing Authority the ability to acquire and improve land that supports the development of #housing and amenities near transit stations. Known as Transit-oriented developments (TOD). 2/ #bcpoli #Transit
TODs can include: childcare centres, shops and commercial services, schools and healthcare centres, educational facilities, public gathering spaces, and recreation centres. These developments are fundamental, particularly among intersecting crises. 3/ #bcpoli #Transit
Read 5 tweets
Sonia Furstenau Profile picture
Apr 26
Today I asked @adriandix about this story. @brish_ti writes “it is impossible to figure out how the virus is affecting hospitalizations in real time.” 1/ #bcpoli #COVID19BC
People on Vancouver Island are already dealing with a severe family doctor shortage, hours long waits for walk-in clinics, and now hospitals are considering renting hotel rooms for rehabilitation patients. 2/ #bcpoli #COVID19BC
I asked the Minister - can he assure people that they won’t be turned away when they are in need of health care? As a mother and a daughter, it is frightening to think my loved ones might not get the care they need. 3/ #bcpoli #COVID19BC
Read 5 tweets
Sonia Furstenau Profile picture
Apr 25
Today I asked @AdrianDix about the #familydoctor crisis in BC.

900,000 British Columbians are without primary care, and those with it are finding their access increasingly cut back.

And 40% of BCers are afraid of losing their doctor. 1/ #bcpoli #healthcare #health
The @bcndp have opened 27 Urgent and Primary Care Centres as a “solution” to the crisis.

They are quick to open them, but without funding plans or adequate staffing. They’re open limited hours, they fill up quickly, & they gatekeep those who can use them. 2/ #bcpoli #health
There have been 1 million visits to UPCCs, but how many of those 1 million visits were to access primary care? How many people were turned away? How many became attached to a doctor after their visit? 3/ #bcpoli #health
Read 6 tweets

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