Editor,
RE: “Health authorities have been using controversial bonus points system for years now” - March 8, 2011.
Your March 8, 2011 article, “Health authorities have been using controversial bonus points system for years now” includes inaccuracies I’d like to correct.
While it’s true health authorities consider two “bonus” criteria when evaluating capital projects to submit to the ministry - operating cost benefit and additional funding partners - we do not use these criteria when actually ranking health capital projects.
The ministry and health authorities base our decisions on factors such as urgency, improved patient access and safety.
Once health authorities submit their list of capital requests to the ministry, we review each project, taking into account regional need, current capital commitments and other provincial capital funding requests.
We continue to make decisions that balance needs across health authorities - not on whether an individual community can provide local funding.
Your article notes, however, that certain projects in the Interior - the CT scanner in Nelson, the maternal child project in Trail and the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital helipad - went ahead because they received community funding. These projects were in fact funded 100 per cent locally and because they do not receive provincial taxpayer dollars, they are not included in the prioritizing process.
Over the past 10 years, we have invested almost $7-billion in health capital projects in British Columbia. These investments in health care infrastructure benefit the health of all British Columbians and help create thousands of jobs in communities around the province.
Colin Hansen
Minister of Health Services
Editor’s note: While we certainly appreciate a response, from health minister Colin Hansen, we feel his claims of inaccuracies were addressed in the story, including statements on bonus points, fairness across the board and what the ministry takes into account when reviewing projects are all included. The three projects from Nelson, Trail and the Kootenay Boundary hospital are also explained in context. We thank the minister for taking the time to respond.