Conservative MLA Sharon Hartwell. Photo by Sarah Lohin /B.C. Conservative Party
Vancouver Sun By Alec Lazenby Published May 06, 2025
Conservative MLA Sharon Hartwell said specialists traveling to Bulkley Valley District Hospital in Smithers aren’t getting reimbursed.
The B.C. Conservatives pressed the NDP government on Tuesday about rural health-care challenges, raising concerns about specialists not getting reimbursed when they travel to hospitals in the North and Interior
Sharon Hartwell, MLA for Bulkley Valley-Stikine, referred to an April 30 letter from Dr. Mallory Quinn, co-chief of staff at Bulkley Valley District Hospital in Smithers. The letter to the Ministry of Health said none of the 30 specialists who travel to the Smithers hospital regularly have been paid in full for their services.
The ministry has a program that is supposed to reimburse health-care workers, especially specialists, for the expenses they pay out of pocket when they periodically travel to select rural and remote communities.
Hartwell said that at least one doctor is out $10,000 for car rentals, airfare and hotel rooms.
“Dr. Chruscicki provided care to patients at the Bulkley Valley District Hospital and hasn’t received any of his 2024 expenses reimbursed to date. We cannot lose any access to specialists in B.C.’s North. Why does this government continue to put rural and remote health care at risk?” Hartwell asked.
It remains unclear when the reimbursement delays first began.
Quinn’s letter states that concerns were raised with the Ministry of Health in late 2024.
Hartwell said one of the issues is that physicians are required to get pre-approval for car rentals, which isn’t always possible as weather conditions sometimes lead to a sudden change in plans.
“A perfect example of this occurred this winter, where the physician was scheduled to fly into Smithers, but due to weather the flight (of which there is only one per day) was cancelled,” said Quinn in the letter.
Health Minister Josie Osborne later told reporters her understanding is that “these matters have been resolved.”
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“We can’t all have a huge hospital with all the trimmings in each one of our communities,” said Hartwell. “We understand that, but after working all these years to get recruit doctors in good faith, now what they’re telling me is that they’re not being reimbursed with this new program.”
Paul Adams, executive director of the B.C. Rural Health Network, said he doesn’t know the details of this specific case with specialists but said travelling health-care workers fill a critical gap in the system and any interruption would create problems.
He said many rural patients already pay thousands of dollars out of pocket to travel to larger communities for specialized care, with research showing this costs an average of $2,000 in travel, accommodation and meals.
“These costs become prohibitive to some people seeking care, and therefore they don’t follow through with their recommendation to go see a specialist or to get diagnostic procedures, and that leads to chronic conditions within the system, and deteriorating health for the patient and increasing costs to the system overall,” said Adams.
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