No quick fix expected if B.C. health care receives boost from feds: Horgan

After the B.C. premier called on the federal government to loosen its purse strings to improve health care last week, it’s unclear how the money would be prioritized if granted.

Last week at the Western Premiers Conference in Saskatchewan, Horgan said healthcare services as they are now are not sustainable. This come as the country emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, as shortages of doctors, wait times for diagnosis and treatment were due to provinces being short-changed on federal dollars.

Horgan said provinces want a $28-billion boost in health transfers, pushing the federal share of healthcare costs to 35 per cent from the current 22 per cent.

However, he is not yet explaining what will be prioritized if the federal government forks over more money for health care.

But the premier is clear: if the money comes the province will then prioritize funding.

“Priorities and how we will manage that when it arrives we’ll tell you when it arrives but we’re dealing … with the world that we live in and hoping for a better one down the road.”

Related Article: Horgan pressing prime minister to step up federal health care funding

Even then — if the money comes — he says it won’t mean a quick fix for what is broken.

“You can’t build a system around that. You need predictability, you need funding. Any business will tell you if the revenues aren’t stable you’re going to have to make different choices about how you deliver services or meet the needs of customers or in the case of health care your patients,” he explained Monday.

While at the top of the list is addressing the shortage of family doctors and primary care will be a long run Horgan says, “There’s no magic solution.”

“I don’t want anyone to be under any illusion that the Canada Health Transfer will transform over the course of a weakened our healthcare system, but we need a new vision.”

– With files from The Canadian Press