Premier John Horgan is expected to announce Friday a new urgent care centre for the West Shore.
It’s something Langford Mayor Stew Young has been waiting for.
Young noted the city of Langford has had a continuous dialogue over the past four years, offering tax incentives and thinking of ways to attract doctors to the West Shore as 30,000 people are without a family doctor. A shortage, he noted, that has been going on for 30 years.
“As far as I’m concerned it’s a crisis situation,” Young said. “Far too long we’ve been under serviced and overlooked and it’s unacceptable.”
His hope is that the announcement will include the province bringing 27 doctors to the West Shore within the next year or two.
Young said the City had to raise taxes this year to pay for MSP for staff. He added if people are paying for health care they want it to be accessible. “It’s not free and that rhetoric has to stop.”
Health Minister Adrian Dix will join Premier Horgan for the announcement at St. Anthony’s Medical Centre, 582 Goldstream Ave., at 3 p.m.