Nearly 30K people gave up on waiting and walked out of Island Health ERs last year
That's one of the takeaways of new data highlighting just how much pressure the province's ERs are facing.
According to the provincial numbers, 142,000 people walked away from B.C. hospital ERs before they received treatment.
The number was highest in Island Health, where nearly 30,000 people gave up on waiting.
The data was obtained by the opposition BC Conservative Party through a freedom of information request.
'We know people are leaving ERs because of long wait times — but we hadn't any idea how many,' said Courtenay-Comox MLA and opposition critic for rural health Brennan Day.
2:11
People leaving ER without care on the rise, stats show
'Certainly, the numbers we got back reflected what British Columbians have been telling us and that's ERs are in crisis here in B.C..'
Story continues below advertisement
The data shows that B.C. ER walk-aways are up 86 per cent in the last six years. In the Island Health region, the increase is a staggering 160 per cent.
Get weekly health news
Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
'We need a change in culture, I think, in the health authorities more than anything,' Day said. 'We need to start prioritizing front-line patient delivery versus protecting the system for the sake of protecting the system.'
In a statement, Island Health said it has recently launched a website where people can track estimated emergency room wait times.
It added that it had recruited almost 1,800 net new employees last year, including more than 800 nurses.
The B.C. Nurses' Union questioned those figures.
'I would ask, how many have left? How many vacant lines do you actually have in emergency? What is your percentage of emergency qualified nurses? Because I think there is much more to understand the context of the situation,' union president Adrian Gear said.
'This isn't just an Island Health concern — this is a provincial concern.'
Gear said B.C.'s emergency rooms have become a 'pressure cooker' in part because so many people don't have access to primary care in the form of a family doctor or nurse practitioners, and end up relying on ERs when they get sick.
Story continues below advertisement
Health Minister Josie Osborne was not available for an interview.
'The number of patients leaving the emergency department is a small proportion of the total number of visits,' she said in a statement.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
3 hours ago
- Global News
Teen seriously burned at Yellowstone after stepping through thermal crust
A 17-year-old boy visiting Yellowstone National Park was seriously burned after he stepped on a piece of land near a geyser and his foot broke through the ground's thin crust, causing 'significant' injury to his foot and ankle. According to the National Park Service, it happened on July 28 around the Lone Star Geyser, which is located near Old Faithful. In a statement, officials said the teen was taken to hospital to be treated for burns. It's the first thermal injury in Yellowstone this year, they said. 'Boardwalks and trails protect you and delicate thermal formations. Water in hot springs can cause severe or fatal burns, and scalding water underlies most of the thin, breakable crust around hot springs,' the National Park Service warns. 'Always walk on boardwalks and designated trails, keep children close and do not let them run on boardwalks and do not touch thermal features or runoff.' Story continues below advertisement Park officials did not say if the teen was walking off the marked path when his foot slipped into the ground. They did not elaborate on his condition. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Last year, a 60-year-old woman sustained similar injuries while hiking in Yellowstone after she went off-trail at the Mallard Lake Trailhead near Old Faithful. She suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg. Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 9,000 square kilometre park since 1890, park officials have said.
Global News
21 hours ago
- Global News
West Nile virus confirmed in Toronto, Canada's 1st human case this year
The Public Health Agency of Canada says this year's first human case of West Nile virus acquired within the country has been confirmed in Toronto. The confirmation comes after Toronto Public Health said its first laboratory-confirmed case of the virus in 2025 is an adult resident of the city with no travel history. The virus is transmitted to humans through infected mosquitoes. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy PHAC's West Nile surveillance report says that as of July 12, two other Canadian residents were infected this year while travelling outside of the country. Its surveillance map shows West Nile detections in two mosquito pools in Ontario and one in Manitoba as of that date. Toronto Public Health says symptoms usually begin between two to 14 days after a mosquito bite and can include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, body aches, skin rash, swollen lymph glands or a stiff neck. Story continues below advertisement It says older adults and people with compromised immune systems are at higher risk of severe illness. People can prevent infection by avoiding mosquito bites — wear light-coloured long sleeves and long pants, use Health Canada-approved insect repellent, put tight-fitting screens on all windows and get rid of standing water in buckets, planters, pool covers and other containers to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds.
Global News
a day ago
- Global News
Toxic drug deaths down in May and June, BC Coroners Service reports
The number of deaths due to toxic drugs fell to below 150 people per month for May and June in British Columbia, a downward trend from the same months last year. The BC Coroners Service says in a statement that the province recorded 145 deaths in May compared with 181 for the same month last year. There were 147 overdose deaths in June, down from 185 the year before. The BC Coroners Service and government have also started releasing the occupation of those who died, and the two most common jobs are trades, transport and equipment operation, as well as sales and service. 2:16 Future of B.C. safer supply program in doubt The statement says 69 per cent of the drug-toxicity deaths are adult men between the ages of 30 and 59, while 78 per cent of all deaths are male. Story continues below advertisement The statistics show that the opioid fentanyl is the most common substance detected in those who died this year, followed by methamphetamine and cocaine. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Forty-seven per cent of deaths reported occurred in a private residence, compared with 21 per cent outdoors,' the statement says. Smoking continues to be the primary mode of consumption of unregulated toxic drugs, with 64 per cent of investigations indicating the person who died smoked their substances, the statement says The highest toxic drugs death rate this year is in the Northern Health region with 44 deaths per 100,000 people, and the cities with the highest tolls are Vancouver, Surrey and Greater Victoria.
