Specialty Care in BC: A System in Distress

This policy paper discusses the availability of, and access to, specialty care in British Columbia. The purpose of the research is to critically examine BC’s health care system and move beyond newspaper headlines and anecdotes as the yardstick by which we measure its success or failure.

The information provided is a combination of quantitative data, compiled for a number of government and agency services, and qualitative material obtained from a comprehensive survey of physicians. The report is based on the most current data available and the analysis reflects the care environment as it existed in 2003. Although some things may have changed during the past year, we are confident that the major trends identified remain valid.

Lessons have been learned in the preparation of this paper. Physicians and other health care providers have repeatedly warned of the implications of the federal government’s funding restraint programs of the nineties and, more recently, the BC government’s three-year budget freeze for health care. Validation of these warnings was previously evident only where individual patients suffered the misfortune of being denied access to care. Now, through this report, the health care system can be examined in a relatively comprehensive fashion and on a region-by-region basis, utilizing both physician knowledge and health system data as key focal points. 

What we have found is troubling.

For the full policy paper, please see “Specialty Care in BC: A System in Distress”.