Prince Rupert's Emergency Closures makes for partial narrative to latest column from Vancouver Sun political observer Vaughn Palmer

Prince Rupert's Emergency room woes have gained  some significant exposure this week, with the now string of ten ER closures in March/April noted by Vancouver Sun political columnist Vaughn Palmer,

The widely read and influential observer of the BC political scene, used the Prince Rupert health care crisis story as part of a larger narrative on the less than sure handed handling of a number of political issues by the NDP government in the province in recent months.

For the Prince Rupert portion, Mr. Palmer focused on the recent tour of the Hospital by Health Minister Adrian Dix.

"Another cabinet minister who appeared to be thumbing through the thesaurus for an appropriate response last week was Health Minister Adrian Dix. 

He was in Prince Rupert to address the several closures of the ER at the local hospital — eight in all for the month of March.

 “You have to be open 24/7,” Dix conceded. “It is a matter of confidence for the community. People say they are afraid here to get sick, well, we hear that. I am frustrated, too.” 

Hear that, you folks afraid to get sick or left waiting outside a shuttered ER? The health minister shares your frustration. Dix, like Farnworth, has been on the job since July 2017. 

He’s presided over a massive increase in health-care spending. Lately, he’s taken to boasting that 45,000 more people are working in health care than when he took office. 

The legions of British Columbians on waiting lists, still needing a family doctor, or hoping the ER is open tonight must be wondering where the heck are all those thousands of health-care workers."

The full column from the Sun can be reviewed here.

It's just one of a series of recent articles (see here) that have highlighted the NDP's strategy of many announcements and promises for the future ... though as he notes, results may not be as close as British Columbians might hope for.

Spared from Mr. Palmers prose was North Coast MLA and Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health Jennifer Rice, though her work on Rural Health care is on the radar for the BC United Opposition. 

With Health Care Critic and Prince George area MLA Shirley Bond, noting of more Health care issues in Rural BC on Tuesday.

In addition to providing for wide distribution of the Vancouver Sun column, Ms. Bond also called on Ms. Rice to speak out on the issues of concern for many in rural BC.

As the week in the Legislature moves forward, we'll keep watch for any further notes on the Prince Rupert situation and on rural health care in general, adding them to our archive page here.

For a look back at last month's string of Emergency Room Closures and the issues of Health care on the North Coast see our archive page.