An MLA for Courtenay-Comox is calling out Interior Health for a "systemic failure in healthcare delivery" at Vernon Jubilee Hospital.
Brennan Day is the MLA for Courtenay-Comox and the official opposition critic for rural health.
“This is a disaster waiting to happen, and no amount of spin from Interior Health can cover up the reality on the ground,” said Day. “Nurses are being muzzled, overworked, and ignored while patients suffer in understaffed ERs and maternity wards. This government has allowed an administrative bloat to flourish while front-line care collapses.”
Day has quoted unconfirmed, anonymous sources from a media organization that alleges that the VJH is "so short-staffed that ER nurses are being asked to cover obstetrics without proper training, while orphan patients, admitted individuals with no assigned doctor, languish without treatment."
“These stories are horrifying but not surprising,” said Day. “This is what happens when you centralize decision-making, ignore local expertise, and bury problems with PR instead of solutions.”
A confidential rural health tip line has been launched by Day, for healthcare workers, patients, and families to share their stories of systemic failures in B.C.’s healthcare system.
"Giving people a safe and confidential way to speak out is the least we can do,” said Day.
“For too long, staff have been silenced by fear and intimidation. This tip line is about protecting whistleblowers, empowering frontline voices, and exposing the reality that management continues to deny. If you have experienced or witnessed issues in the healthcare system, contact Brennan Day’s office by email at brennan.day.MLA@leg.bc.ca."
