Following explosive firsthand accounts from frontline nurses at Vernon Jubilee Hospital, Brennan Day, MLA for Courtenay–Comox and Official Opposition Critic for Rural Health, is calling out a systemic failure in healthcare delivery under the NDP government.
This comes less than a week after Kelowna Mission MLA Gavin Dew called on Interior Health (IH) CEO Susan Brown to step down from her role after the closure of Kelowna General Hospital’s Pediatric Unit for 6 weeks.
Brown issuing a statement saying she will stay on for the remaining 6 months of her term until she retires.
She also acknowledged that IH is facing significant pressures but said a growing demand for health-care services is not just an issue here but also all across the province and the country.
Below is the statement from MLA Brennan Day:
“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.”
According to whistleblower nurses speaking to media, Vernon Jubilee Hospital is now 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. Nurses describe regular violent incidents in pediatrics and maternity, staff fleeing en masse, and worsening burnout across the board.
“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.”
Day is also renewing the call for a full independent audit of BC’s regional health authorities, beginning with Interior Health.
“It’s time to follow the money. British Columbians deserve to know where their healthcare dollars are going, because they clearly aren’t reaching patients,” added Day. “We need transparency, accountability, and a reallocation of funds from bloated administration to bedside care.”
While the province has announced cuts to administrative staff at Island Health, Brennan Day says it’s too little, too late, and questions whether the same level of scrutiny is being applied across all regional health authorities. “Trimming a few administrative positions in one region doesn’t begin to address the scale of dysfunction we’re seeing province-wide,” said Day. “It’s a start, but it’s not enough. We need a full, independent audit of every health authority to ensure that resources are going where they’re actually needed: to frontline care.”
To help bring more voices forward, Day has launched a confidential Rural Health Tip Line for healthcare workers, patients, and families to share their stories of systemic failures in BC’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, we encourage you to contact Brennan Day’s office by email at [email protected].
“No one should suffer in silence — and no one should be punished for telling the truth,” Day concluded.
