Budget includes $6.4B in new funding for health care and training in B.C.

The B.C. government is pouring more money into the province’s beleaguered health-care system, committing an additional $6.4 billion in funding over three years.

The provincial budget, released Tuesday, describes improvements to the system as a top priority.

A third of the spending is simply to keep up inflation and growing demand due in part to an aging population, with another billion over three years going towards recruiting and retaining new health-care workers in an expansion of the health human resources strategy announced in September.

Nearly $1 billion is dedicated to mental health, addiction and substance use supports in what the finance minister describes as the biggest such investment in British Columbia’s history, aiming at what the province has called “seamless care.” Despite the investment, user fees will remain for those enrolling in existing treatment spaces; only new facilities will have fully free treatment.

"That's a missed opportunity,” said Usman Mustaq with the BC Health Coalition. “We know for folks who wish to access those treatment beds, user fees are a financial barrier." 

The budget earmarks $586 million for treatment and recovery beds, $184 million for responding to the illicit drug toxicity crisis (including early intervention services for children and youth, prescription alternatives to illicit drugs, and police-nurse response teams), and $169 million for capital investments. The Red Fish Healing Centre model is also set to expand to more areas of the province.

The provincial operating budget for the 2023/24 fiscal year is $81.2 billion, and federal health-care funding agreed to in principle earlier this month is not included in the revenues since details have yet to be finalized.

CONFIRMATION OF PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS

As he announced on the weekend, Premier David Eby has earmarked $270 million toward the BC Cancer Care Plan, on top of $150 million in supplementary estimates going to the BC Cancer Foundation.

Also previously announced, a billion dollars from Budget 2023 will go towards a new funding model for family doctors that better compensates them for time spent with patients. The plan has not had universal uptake by the physicians themselves, despite a rollout early this month.

Another $875 million will go toward Pandemic Recovery Contingencies, including vaccination programs, personal protective equipment for healthcare workers, COVID-19 testing, and to overall “ensure the province can continue to provide ongoing health responses and to help people, businesses and communities that are still recovering from the pandemic’s impacts.”

The budget document makes special note that among the risks to the financial plan are the possible emergence of new COVID-19 variants, in addition to a possible recession, geo-political conflicts, and other factors.

MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING CONTINUES

The 2023 budget also continues spending on a number of key projects, adding up to a whopping $11.2 billion over three years, which the province claims is the largest-ever capital investment in new health-care infrastructure.

The new St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, the new Surrey Hospital and cancer centre, the Cowichan and District Hospital replacement, plus redevelopment and expansion of the Royal Columbian, Richmond, Mills Memorial, and Dawson Creek hospitals are among the biggest exenditures.   

Despite outlining recruitment and retention efforts for health-care workers in particular, the BC Nurses Union found the budget short on details when it comes to staffing recovery beds and new hospitals alike.

“All this money's being invested in infrastructure, but where are you going to get the nurses from?” asked BCNU president Aman Grewal.

“We already have 5,325 vacancies here in B.C. alone.”