“Now the hard work really begins. Fair Care is not going to back away from this conversation. We will continue to work with the community to get a commitment to a time frame.
Hais and the coalition have led a high-profile public education campaign to highlight disparities in health care for some on Vancouver Island.
Despite having more than half the population, only about one-fifth of the province’s dollars is spent on facilities and specialists north of Malahat.
Hospitals in Victoria have many more beds, specialists and treatment options than anywhere else on the island, especially at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.
Hais, who calls it a “good day”, approaches the campaign promise with caution, noting that there has been no formal funding announcement from the current government.
“We want to know specifics, we want to know dates. We need to know what the scope of the project is, how we are responding to the gross shortfall we are facing in the community in terms of cardiac care. Does the tower have a lab? Or is there a quicker plan to get us something temporary…until the tower can arrive?”
She credited better public education as a major factor in pushing a new patient tower at NRGH to the top of the BC NDP’s priorities.
“I think for the first time in history, our community in the Mid and North Island talking to each other is making an impact.” I think we are being listened to, and this is the first time since I’ve been able to vote that I’ve seen our entire community stand up with one voice.”
When asked about similar conversations with BC Conservative Leader John Rustad and BC Green Leader Sonia Furstenau, Hais said high-level conversations have taken place, but there has been nothing but rumblings of a similar commitment from either party.
How much will it cost and how to pay for it?
Capital health projects in the Nanaimo region are typically cost-shared between the province and the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District (NRHD).
In most cases, the province pays 60 percent of the bill, and local taxpayers pick up the balance through the NRHD.
District board chairman Ian Thorpe said the commitment from Eby was “another important step forward” in tackling the mid-island healthcare gulf.
He added that it was somewhat of a blunder from the NDP in conversations over the past two years.
“A year ago when I met [health minister Adrian] Dix, he also told me that the patient tower was not even on the distant horizon. This year, when we met with him, he admitted that we were climbing the scales and that would be a priority at some point, and now we have the announcement from [David] Eby.”
Cost estimates for the new facility vary widely, however consensus is on an estimated 10-year development and construction timeline.
Island Health’s January 2024 draft capital plan estimates the patient tower replacement will cost $1.15 billion, but the Fair Care Alliance has the project at $1.7 billion.
Even at the low end, that means that assuming a 40 percent cost share, NRHD could be responsible for between $460-680 million.
It’s a range that Thorpe is hopeful will fall.
“If and when the tower is indeed announced and a business plan is presented, I can see us having serious discussions with the government about the funding formula and hopefully we can negotiate some sort of fair compromise on how much money we need to put up.” into it.”
The 40 percent figure is based on the Hospital Districts Act of 1967, legislation that has been heavily criticized by local governments in recent years for creating an unfair burden on local governments and taxpayers.
In response to the expected tax liability, Thorpe said the NRHD has “aggressively” raised its tax levies in recent years.
According to the district’s 2024-2028 annual budget, approximately $48 million was in reserve for capital projects at the end of the 2023 fiscal year.
Money is added every year, but other capital projects also drain the funds, ie. pending construction of a long-term care facility in Lantzville.
Budget estimates call for the reserve to be kept at about $65 million until 2028, when a large donation and reduced spending will see the bill rise to $142 million.
“I haven’t had anyone come to me and complain what they think [recent tax increases for healthcare] is unfair and unfair,” Thorpe said. “That said, there’s a limit to taxpayer funding and I think we may have to watch as we continue to scale back how aggressively we’ve been a little bit, I think we’ve indicated to the government.”
Thorpe said that even with a continued aggressive tax approach, significant borrowing would need to occur to finance their share of the project.
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