B.C.’s premier and minister of health say they are focusing on healthcare measures intended to reduce wait times at hospital emergency departments after CTV News reported the rate has reached a historic high on the Lower Mainland.
Adrian Dix, asked about the issue Friday, said the root of the problem is a growing demand due to an increase in patients suffering serious health issues and an increase in the overall number of patients seeking emergency care.
“First of all, we have more people in emergency than we’ve ever had before,” Dix said.
The rising number of patients taking up beds has forced hospitals to rank the seriousness of their condition, with Dix saying it ranges from one to five, with one being the most severe.
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“What we’re seeing in this period of this third year of the pandemic is way more (level) two and three patients,” said Dix.
The severity of the situation was brought to the surface on Wednesday after CTV News obtained data showing Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health authorities’ rate of patients leaving before treatment is double or triple the typical rate, with up to one in 10 patients giving up because of long wait times.
