I read in the news how much effort the minister of health is putting into increasing access to health care for British Columbians.

But is he really?

When will he commit to providing basic care to the 20,000 plus Prince George citizens by providing a sustainable funding model for nurse practitioners?

Nurse practitioners have advanced education and training in health assessment, diagnosis and management of illness and injury, including prescribing drugs. As NPs, we decrease gaps and waiting times within the health-care system. Nurse practitioners are a very real and viable option for a variety of communities and facilitate access to health care.

In B.C. there are upward of 80 nurse practitioners looking for work. The North has typically had difficulty obtaining care providers. If each NP was employed they could provide care to a staggering 280,000 plus British Columbians a year.

B.C. graduates some 45 NPs and there are only a handful of employment opportunities. The shortsightedness of the government has led nurse practitioners who studied in B.C. to leave the province, if not the country, looking for work.

What a disastrous waste of resources. This is a great opportunity to improve the health of British Columbians, and contribute to, long-term solutions. So what is the government waiting for?

Paul Perry

Prince George