Mr. Speaker, Vancouver Coastal Health is eliminating a number of primary care services at public health facilities in Vancouver, including several in my riding. These provide some of the most essential elements of care delivered by health professionals at places like the Evergreen and Mid-Main clinics.
The services being down are models of preventive, community-based health care. We know that multidisciplinary clinics promote better health outcomes and when properly supported, provide the most efficient care. This misguided and short-sighted decision will leave thousands of patients without regular access to a primary health care provider. It will cost us more in the long run and hurt patient health.
It is a direct result of cuts to the Canada health transfer by Conservatives in Ottawa and poor management of our health care system by Liberals in British Columbia.
Canadians want national and provincial governments that will support primary care and prevention and a strong public health care system.
I call on the Conservative government to immediately restore the funding necessary to keep these vital services available to citizens in Vancouver.