Gordon Campbell’s broken promises for a better healthcare system has outraged the community of Surrey. On March 12th 2008 a code orange was called due to extreme overcrowding at Surrey Memorial Hospital’s ER. All non emergency surgeries had to be cancelled because the ER was swamped with patients. So, the hospital officials declared a code orange, which is normally called to respond to an emergency such as a plane crash. During that crisis it was reported that there were 41 admitted patients in the ER and there was not a single bed that was free in the entire hospital for any of them.
The health care situation in B.C has gotten so severe that it prompted a surgeon at Royal Columbian Hospital to take the time to write a letter complaining about cancelled surgeries and treating patents in the hallways of the hospital. In his letter, Dr. Rob Granger wrote that the Liberal government has been ignoring doctors at that hospital since 2003. Fire Marshals have been called to Royal Columbian in the past to deal with the issue of overcrowding. He insists in his letter that during the time the Liberals have been in power, operating slates have been cancelled on a daily basis, operating rooms have been closed and patients have had to wait in the hallways for nursing care.
Quality patient care requires proper training, good morale, and decent pay. The government has made promise after promises which have only been broken. They have been firing workers, closing hospitals, raising MSP fees, and cutting acute and long-term care beds. As a result, patients – particularly senior citizens – have suffered from a lack of care. Waitlists have increased. Hospitals are not as clean. And public frustration is mounting. We want to change that because your health matters to us.
