The BC government’s multimillion-dollar campaign to attract American health care workers to the province has resulted in only around 140 job offers, the minister of health admitted today.
Josie Osborne said her government is “seeing incredible momentum” with the scheme, which she said will result in “shorter wait times, stronger team-based care and better health services.”
But the $5 million recruitment drive, discussed in March and officially launched in June, has so far led to a modest return for a health system struggling to recruit and retain enough workers to meet even the most basic needs in the province.
It also led to more than 1,400 job applications, the BC government said. Those applications came from doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and allied health professionals.
Late last year, Osborne told NowMedia she was “fully committed” to bringing in more staff and ending the repeated closures of emergency departments across BC.
There are estimated to be more than 700,000 British Columbians without a family doctor.
"Health care workers want to be in a system where their skills are valued, science is respected and their focus is on providing care – not fighting with for-profit insurance companies," said Osborne.
"That's why we're seeing incredible momentum with hundreds of American health care workers on their way to BC and some already here. For people in British Columbia, this means shorter wait times, stronger team-based care and better health services in communities across the province."
BC said its recruitment drive targeted workers in Washington, Oregon and “select cities” in California.
Last year, the government also targeted British health workers with an advertising campaign, but has not revealed whether it led to any new recruits.
One of the recruits from the US campaign, meanwhile, said she and her family moved to Kamloops in the summer and “already feel at home.”
Olga Decker, a doctor, said: "The process was smooth and supportive … I'm grateful for the warm Canadian welcome and I'm excited to build a life here, while continuing to serve patients and provide the best medical care at Royal Inland Hospital."
In an interview with NowMedia earlier this month, the Opposition Conservatives critic for rural and seniors' health said the province's health system had suffered to such an extent that there are "really large voids ... where second-tier healthcare, second-class healthcare is the norm."
Brennan Day also addressed the US recruitment plan, arguing that it's "going to be challenging given the wage disparities between the two countries and the poor exchange rate right now."
He added: "People make decisions based on where they can go to make some money, not just the health care system."
