NANAIMO — If the central Island wants expanded healthcare facilities, the banging of pots and pans will have to be a lot louder.
Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog, in what he dubbed a “cranky old man speech” during a Tuesday, April 11 Regional Hospital District meeting, made a passionate call for people at home to be more actively involved in campaigning for additional healthcare resources on the mid-Island.
He added locally, the Regional District is doing its part by gradually setting aside the required capital contribution and campaigning among elected officials. What’s missing though, according to Krog, is the political pressure from those at home.
“If you really want to make change and really want to assist your fellow citizens and yourselves and your loved ones, then for Heaven’s sake get off your duffers and contact the politicians who need to make these decisions and make this the priority it needs to be.”
He pleaded for people to reach out to their respective MLA’s and MP’s, to push the case.
Top of the list in requests, bordering on demands, of the province from local elected officials is a new oncology centre. It’s a project which has already been promised by the NDP government.
Expansion of the hospital tower, a long-term care facility and a cath lab are all in various stages of development.
Two major projects do have shovels in the ground at the hospital.
A new $41 million intensive care unit is due for a fall 2023 opening, while construction is underway on the floor below for a 12-bed high acuity unit.
Krog, while praising the staff, said NRGH was “outdated and overcrowded” and the mid-Island was covered by a “serious lack of services” for specialized treatment.
He added politicians ultimately are influenced by the will of the public and areas with the loudest campaign often get a slice of limited resources.
“It is not sufficient in the 21st century in a modern democracy to sit back and whine about the situation without contacting your democratically elected officials and telling them it’s a priority for you,” Krog said. “We are not going to get a new tower here unless we put our money where our mouth is.”
Krog’s over six minute speech earned a brief applause from Nanaimo city councillor Janice Perrino, who was CEO of the Nanaimo Hospital Foundation prior to being elected in 2022.
She said while staff in Nanaimo can administer chemotherapy, the central Island has a lack of resources for other cancer treatments, namely radiation, which is often done in conjunction.
There’s also simply not enough space.
“The cancer clinic that we have is about half the size of what is needed and we are sending patients to Victoria or Vancouver every single week because we can’t accommodate them even for chemotherapy.”
The number of treatments required for common types of cancer, including breast and prostate, range from 16 to around 40, meaning extended time spent away from home for most patients.
“You can only imagine travelling that Malahat every single day, five days a week. That’s why this needs to be pushed.”
The case for additional mid-Island healthcare resources will be made again at the upcoming Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities conference later this week.
Nanaimo will host the three-day event beginning Friday, April 14, which will see 53 municipalities and regional districts attend to highlight their local priorities.
Recommendations are then forwarded to the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference in September for possible consideration by the provincial government.
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