This is an archive of news stories and research from the National Union of Public and General Employees. Please see our new site - https://nupge.ca - for the most current information.
The submission calls for the Ministry of Health to focus on human resources strategies that address shortages in health science professions, improve access to multidisciplinary primary care and mental health services, and improve access to early intervention services for children with disabilities.
Vancouver (15 Oct. 2018) — Val Avery, President of the Health Sciences Association of B.C. (HSABC/NUPGE), presented to the provincial legislature’s Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services this week, and urged government to invest wisely in the people who deliver the health care and social services British Columbians rely on.
Need to include more than nursing and medicine in health human resources planning
“The provincial government’s promising and ambitious new health care directions will require health human resources planning for health science professionals, and should not be limited to 1 or 2 professions, such as nursing and medicine where the greatest focus remains,” Avery told the committee.
“We believe that a Health Science Professions Policy Secretariat, similar to the existing Nursing Policy Secretariat within the Ministry of Health, is necessary to make concrete progress on workforce challenges facing health science professionals, which is the second-largest health professional group with the greatest number of distinct disciplines," said Avery.
Investment in prevention-oriented health care and social services is needed
In its submission to the Standing Committee, which is an all-party committee of the legislature tasked with listening to British Columbians about their priorities for the 2019 provincial budget, HSABC/NUPGE acknowledged the important investments made by the government in 2018. This includes a bold child care plan and commitments to improving the delivery of health care and social services. In its submission, HSABC/NUPGE urged the government to continue on that track.
“Budget 2019 is an opportunity to continue to reinvest in B.C.’s public health care system and build a strong foundation that will improve the health and well-being of all British Columbians in communities across the province. It is important to provide adequate funding for prevention-oriented health care and social services, including early childhood intervention services, as prevention increases health equity and makes more cost-effective use of health care resources by reducing the use of acute and emergency services,” the submission says.
HSABC/NUPGE submission applauds government, urges more investment in primary and mental health care
The submission calls for the Ministry of Health to focus on human resources strategies that address shortages in health science professions, improve access to multidisciplinary primary care and mental health services, and improve access to early intervention services for children with disabilities.
In its submission, the union also applauds government’s recent decision to align with the growing body of evidence showing that public-private partnerships are not fiscally prudent, and to pursue the Royal Columbian Hospital redevelopment as a publicly delivered design-build project.
The union's full submission can viewed and downloaded on the HSABC website.