BACKGROUNDER
2006OTP0140-001167 Sept. 28, 2006	Office of the Premier Ministry of Health
WHAT AFFECTS THE DELIVERY OF HEALTH SERVICES

·         The delivery of health services is complex and involves:

o        changes in population age, population growth, chronic disease rates, and increased demands for surgeries;

o        numbers of health professionals needed to manage the demand on the system; and

o        new technologies, diagnostic devices, research and drugs.

·         B.C. currently spends $12.8 billion a year on health services across government. Since 2000/01:

o        the health budget has increased by more than $3.6 billion – a 35 per cent increase; and

o        funding to health authorities has increased from $5.6 billion to $6.8 billion – a 21 per cent increase.

·         B.C. has invested in additional surgical capacity. Increases in the number of surgeries between 2000/01 and 2005/06 include:

• Knee replacements increased by more than 84 per cent;
• Angioplasties increased by more than 62 per cent;
• Hip replacements increased by more than 47 per cent; and
• Cataract surgeries increased by 33 per cent.

·         In the last five years, B.C. has significantly increased equipment to speed diagnostic testing, including:

• 10 new Computed Tomography (CT) scanners, giving a current total of 41 CT scanners throughout the province; and
• 10 new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners, giving a current total of 19.

·         Since 2001/02, the province is performing thousands more MRI and CT exams:

• About 360,000 CT exams completed for 2005/06, an increase from almost 280,000 in 2002/03 – a 22 per cent increase; and
• About 75,000 MRI exams completed for 2005/06, an increase from almost 50,000 in 2002/03 – an increase of 50 per cent.

·         Since 2001, B.C. has created 75 per cent more student nursing spots. In 2001, there were 4,064 spaces available in the province, there are now 7,085.

·         By 2007, the number of first year training spaces for new doctors in B.C. will double from 128 to 256 – an increase of 100 per cent.

·         In 2004/05, British Columbians made approximately 20 million visits to general practitioners.

·         Every year in B.C., there are 1.8 million visits made to the 108 emergency rooms around the province.

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Media contact:	Marisa Adair Communications Director Ministry of Health 250 920-8500 (cell) 250 952-1887	Dale Steeves Director of Communications Office of the Premier 250 361-7783
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