A recent survey on the state of BC’s healthcare system and hopes for its future shows that people do not want a private or semi-private system to be implemented.
When asked if British Columbians would be willing to pay out of pocket to have quicker access to medical services that currently have long waiting times, 54% of respondents said they would not do it.
Meanwhile, 41% said they either probably would or definitely would with 6% of respondents undecided on the matter.
The notion of a semi-private system is a key part of the Conservative Party of BC’s platform ahead of the upcoming election. They say they want to give the option of faster access to healthcare services for those who can afford it.
When asked if British Columbians would be willing to travel to a different country to access faster medical care, similarly, 55% said they would not be interested, while 39% said they would consider it and 6% responded undecided.
According to the survey, the biggest concern to British Columbians is the shortage of doctors and nurses in the province.
The survey shows 43% of BC believes we need to prioritize bringing more doctors and nurses into the system, 23% say that long wait times should be prioritized, 11% say BC suffers from inadequate resources and facilities and 9% are concerned with healthcare bureaucracy and red tape.
Low on the priority list of respondents are insufficient standards of hygiene in the healthcare system (2%), vague legal rights of patients (3%) and little focus on preventative care (4%).
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The overall view of the BC healthcare system is that there are good aspects of it, but some change needs to be made in order to improve its current state, with 49% of respondents believing this.
Only 16% of respondents said the healthcare system is fine the way it is and 31% said the system is so flawed it needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.
Switching gears to child care in BC, survey respondents were asked if they support or oppose SOGI-inclusive education for children.
SOGI-inclusive education raises awareness of and welcomes students of all sexual orientations, gender identities and family structures.
According to the survey, 49% of respondents support SOGI-inclusive education while 34% oppose the notion, with 16% undecided.
Additionally, the survey shows that 77% support the ban on use of cell phones in classrooms, while 17% oppose the ban.
The BC NDP brought the cell phone ban into effect beginning this September, with each school district across the province having to create their own policies for what the ban will entail in their schools.
Healthcare and child care are both key issues in the election with the Conservative Party of BC, the BC NDP and the BC Green Party all taking different stances on how to improve the systems in place.
The election date slated for Saturday, October 19th, just 10 days away.
The survey was conducted by BC-based Research Co., a statistics and survey and analysis firm.
