BC First Nation plans private hospital

BCs Westbank First Nation is planning to build a 120million private hospital on its reserve in the Okanagan

Chief Robert Louie says the 100bed facility would operate outside Canadas medicare system serving any patient willing to pay for private treatment

Louie believes theres a large market of Canadians who are leaving the country for health care who would be willing to pay for the same services at home

quotIf they are desperate to receive that and they cant afford to wait because of medical reasons or various other reasons they will leave the country and that is exactly what people in Canada are doingquot said Louie

The facility will perform various medical procedures including elective heart surgery but wont provide emergency services obstetric or psychiatric care

Running hospital will be challenging says analyst
Health services will conform to federal and provincial health standards but Louie said the First Nation does not need approval from the province to build and run the hospital

BCs Ministry of Health said it needs to see details of the hospital from the Westbank First Nation before the ministry can comment on the merits or legality of such a facility

Private clinics already exist in BC such as the Cambie Surgery Centre in Vancouver but most offer specialized treatment

Allan Davidson a health policy analyst at UBC Okanagan said running a private hospital with a wide range of services will be challenging

quotHospitals are extremely complex organizations and require very substantial investmentquot said Davidson

The Westbank First Nation said the hospital will create approximately 300 jobs and hopes construction will begin this fall

Date : 14 Apr, 2012
Reference : http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/Local/News/2012-04-13/article-2954089/New-hospital-planned-for-Diefenbaker-

Back to News