To anyone who has tried to access healthcare in B.C. in recent years, it’s not a secret: the system is under stress.
B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix says there is work being done to address the strain the healthcare system is under.
“We have a transformational system. Over 60, the vast majority of doctors are men. Under 60, the vast majority of doctors are women,” Dix said appearing on Steele and Vance.
“It’s a changing system and the medical system has to change to that. Younger doctors do not want to run businesses, they want to practice medicine. And so we worked with the Doctors of BC, we have a new agreement, we’ve added 600 family doctors net new this year.”
According to Doctors of BC, nearly one million people in B.C. do not have a family doctor.
Despite the challenges, Dix says the people working in B.C.’s healthcare system are doing a great job.
“I think the folks working in the system, our doctors and our nurses and our health care workers, they’re doing exceptional work,” he said. “We’re recruiting more people than ever before, but also we’re seeing unprecedented demand.”
On Jan. 10, B.C. announced a record number of people are currently in the hospital, with 10,435 people in hospital as of Tuesday night.
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To help ease this burden, Dix urges people to get vaccinated against the flu and COVID.
Watch the full interview with Adrian Dix, where he discusses the new cervical cancer at-home test, three children dying in B.C. due to complications with the flu, and the pressures the health care system faces with the aging population.
Laura Brougham
