Resource Summary

1	These amounts have been restated for comparative purposes only to be consistent with the presentation of the 2006/07 Estimates. Schedule A of the 2006/07 Estimates presents a detailed reconciliation.

1	These amounts have been restated, for comparative purposes only, to be consistent with the presentation of the 2006/07 Estimates.
2	Health Innovation Incentive Program — Loans (disbursements) are no longer provided to health authorities or other health agencies. Receipts represent repayment by health authorities of the loans (disbursements) made in previous years. Administration costs are funded through the ministry’s voted appropriations.

Health Authorities Included in the Provincial Reporting Entity

As required under the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act, British Columbia’s six health authorities are included in the government reporting entity. The health authorities have been primary service delivery organizations for the public health sector for several years and many of the performance measures and targets included in the ministry’s service plan are related to services delivered by the health authorities. The majority of the health authorities’ revenues and a substantial portion of the funding for capital acquisitions are provided by the province in the form of grants from ministry budgets.

1	Revenue: Includes provincial revenue from the Ministry of Health, plus revenues from the federal government, co-payments (which are client contributions for accommodation in care facilities), fees and licences and other revenues.
2	Expenses: Provides for a range of health care services, including primary care and public health programs, acute care and tertiary services, mental health services, home care and home support, and assisted living and residential care.

Major Capital Projects

Capital investments in the health system ensure the infrastructure needed to support the continuum of care is maintained and expanded as the province’s population grows and health needs and health services change. Health sector capital investments include: health facilities, such as hospitals, clinics and residential and complex care settings; medical equipment, including CT scanners, MRIs, laboratory systems and surgical equipment; and information technology and information management systems that improve quality and efficiency, and increase access to services, particularly in rural areas.

The province’s six health authorities and the ministry collaborate on financial and infrastructure planning to ensure capital investments in the health system are strategic and cost-effective. Recognizing the significant cost and long lifespan of most capital investments — both in acquisition and use — the ministry and health authorities are moving toward a comprehensive ten-year capital planning process that is aligned with other health sector planning. This change in the planning horizon will enable the ministry to better anticipate future demand for health services, resulting from a growing and aging population and medical and technological innovations, and to plan and prioritize long-term capital investments accordingly.

Current health sector projects include: expanding hospital services in Surrey, Cranbrook, Nanaimo, Prince George and Vancouver; completing the new Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre; opening the new Vancouver General Hospital Academic Ambulatory Care Centre; expanding B.C.’s medical school; establishing 5,000 new residential care, assisted living and supportive housing with care beds throughout the province; and continuing to invest in high tech medical equipment such as MRIs and CT Scanners, as well as in information management technology to support B.C.’s eHealth strategy.

Major capital projects currently underway include:

• Replacing the Matsqui-Sumas-Abbotsford hospital with a new, 300-bed Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre to serve the Fraser Valley. The new hospital will provide enhanced programs and services, including a new cancer centre, to meet the health needs of Fraser Valley residents over the next 30 years. The $355 million project will be finished in 2008.
• Building the new Academic Ambulatory Care Centre located at Vancouver General Hospital. The new Centre is a state-of-the-art, 11 storey health facility that will provide a wide range of outpatient health services while also providing medical education facilities and physician and specialist offices. The project is estimated at $95 million and is scheduled for completion in 2006.
• Expanding the East Kootenay Regional Hospital in Cranbrook to enhance its Regional Health Care Centre role. The addition will expand and upgrade the Emergency, Ambulatory Care and Diagnostic Imaging departments. The $32 million project is scheduled for completion in fall of 2007.
• Building a new wing at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital for perinatal care that will include 15 labour/birthing rooms and a special care nursery, as well as private rooms to allow for family centered maternity care. The expansion is scheduled to open in the spring of 2007 and will cost $15.6 million.
• Expanding Surrey Memorial Hospital. The project plans include increasing the number of acute care beds, building a new ambulatory care facility and building a new emergency department. Construction of the ambulatory care facility is expected to start in 2007. These initiatives are expected to cost between $187 and $224 million.
• A building addition and renovations in the Prince George Regional Hospital to accommodate a special care nursery, a combined labour delivery and maternity unit and improvements to paediatrics and paediatric ambulatory care. The project has a budget of $12.5 million is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2006.
• Continuing the redevelopment of the Vancouver General Hospital to create a modern and efficient hospital environment for enhanced accessibility and patient care. This $156 million project will be completed in 2007.
• Investing in British Columbia’s eHealth strategy to improve quality and enhance efficiency in the health system, beginning with the eHealth Drug Project and the Provincial Laboratory Information Solution (PLIS). The eHealth Drug Project will improve patient safety and care quality, and streamline care delivery and better manage costs. The project encompasses expanding authorized access to PharmaNet medication profiles; increasing the content in the medication profiles; deploying clinical and financial reference tools at the point-of-care; and implementing electronic prescribing. Meanwhile, the PLIS project is to support care providers with timely access to laboratory information at the point of care, anywhere in the province. Canada Health Infoway is a strategic investor in PLIS, which will begin implementation in 2007.