Standing steps away from the emergency entrance of Kelowna General Hospital, local Conservative MLAs Gavin Dew, Kristina Loewen, and Macklin McCall delivered a unified message: health care in the region is in crisis, and the time for vague reassurances is over.
The MLAs pointed to staffing shortages, a breakdown in leadership, and growing public concern as evidence that the current approach to health care governance is no longer acceptable.
“In a radio interview this morning, the Minister of Health, Josie Osborne, walked back the 6-week pediatric closure timeline,” said Gavin Dew, MLA for Kelowna-Mission. “She won’t even show up to talk to front-line workers. What we’re seeing from this Health Minister is a continuation of the top-down mismanagement of health care that got us here in the first place. Health care workers have been sounding the alarm for months. Now, patients are suffering – and the only response from Victoria has been silence or spin.”
Kristina Loewen, MLA for Kelowna-Centre, said the public statements from frontline doctors mark a turning point. “It takes a lot for a physician to break ranks and speak publicly. When that happens, it means the system behind closed doors has collapsed. The people we trust to care for us no longer trust the people making decisions.”
“We are one of the fastest-growing regions in the province, and the care is going in the opposite direction,” said Macklin McCall, MLA for West Kelowna-Peachland. “We don’t need more promises. We need action, which starts by listening to our community and frontline professionals.”
The MLAs invite residents and those concerned about health care to a Kelowna Health Care Crisis Town Hall at the Capri Hotel on Tuesday, July 2, from 5 to 7 PM. Attendees can register at www.kghcrisis.com.
Below is a full video of the MLAs speaking to media in front of the KGH Emergency entrance:
