Your Questions Answered

The summary follows 78 meetings, more than 12,000 submissions, and a full year of engagement with British Columbians all over the Province.

Find Forums, Meetings and Focus Groups Information

Check out what British Columbians throughout the province had to say about health at the forums, meetings and focus groups.

Here you will find the latest news releases, videos and photographs from the Conversation.

Your Questions Answered

During the Conversation on Health, the following answers were created from the most frequently asked questions.

Questions were gathered through the website, 1-800 number, email, mail in and forum dialogue.

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View Transcript View Transcript View Transcript View Transcript View Transcript View Transcript View Transcript View Transcript View Transcript View Transcript View Transcript View Transcript View Transcript View Transcript View Transcript View Transcript View Transcript View Transcript View Transcript style="margin-top: -15px;"> 'Cutting time back for hip replacements, knee replacements, and all that, can it not be speeded up a little more? Or is it just a case that there has to be more money put in. Can they not apply to the federal government for more help?');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Lorne from Victoria asks about federal government funding for hip replacements. showVideoInfo('Lorne from Victoria asks about the new Jubliee Hosptial tower.', 'How long do you really really think it is going to take to build that tower at the Jubilee Hospital? Is it really going to take that long to build or is it going to be faster? We all know that it is going to be a great asset.');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Lorne from Victoria asks about the new Jubliee Hosptial tower. showVideoInfo('Kevin from Vancouver asks about a graduated legal smoking age.', 'Kevin from Vancouver asks: Nothing surpasses cigarette smoking in terms of lethality and cost to our system. Why not legislate a graduated legal smoking age?');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Kevin from Vancouver asks about a graduated legal smoking age. showVideoInfo('Ken from Prince George asks incentives to attract doctors to rural areas.', 'Ken from Prince George asks: What steps is government taking to attract doctors to more rural areas?');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Ken from Prince George asks incentives to attract doctors to rural areas. showVideoInfo('Rene from Surrey asks about prescription renewal methods.', 'Rene from Surrey asks: Why do patients need to visit a doctor’s office to renew prescriptions for chronic conditions? Can’t low risk medications be repeated for more than a year for patients who do not require further counselling?');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Rene from Surrey asks about prescription renewal methods. showVideoInfo('Participants ask how their input will be used.', 'Participants at the regional public forums ask: How will government use my input, and will all input received be used to make changes to the health system?');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Participants ask how their input will be used. showVideoInfo('Tim asks about the process of dedicating operating rooms to specific tasks.', 'Tim asks: Evidence has shown that dedicating operating rooms to carrying out specific types or procedures increases efficiency, reduces risk and cuts down on recovery rates of patients. Is this type of process being considered here?');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Tim asks about the process of dedicating operating rooms to specific tasks. showVideoInfo('Pat in Victoria asks about health pressures nation wide.', 'How are other provinces addressing health pressures?');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Pat in Victoria asks about health pressures nation wide. showVideoInfo('British Columbians have asked about waitlist priority', 'Should placement on the surgery waitlist be determined solely by the medical urgency of the case, or should factors such as unhealthy lifestyle habits be considered when deciding where a patient is placed on the wait list?');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">British Columbians have asked about waitlist priority showVideoInfo('Wayne from Vancouver asks about a Health Professionals Network', 'Does the province have a network for all hospitals, clinics, doctors to communicate on? If not, is one being built?');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Wayne from Vancouver asks about a Health Professionals Network showVideoInfo('Dee Wejr, Enderby City Councillor, asks George Abbott About Assisted Living and Supportive Housing units.', 'My question is, how many more Assisted Living and Supportive Housing units are going to be built over the next period of time in our province?');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Dee Wejr, Enderby City Councillor, asks George Abbott About Assisted Living and Supportive Housing units. showVideoInfo('Lori in Vancouver asks Murray Coell, Minister of Advanced Education, about keeping newly graduated BC doctors and nurses in BC.', 'What are you doing to ensure our doctors and nurses, that are graduating, stay in our province?');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Lori in Vancouver asks Murray Coell, Minister of Advanced Education, about keeping newly graduated BC doctors and nurses in BC. showVideoInfo('Dianne Watts, Mayor of Surrey asks George Abbott about the qualifications and training provided for immigrating nurses and doctors.', 'I would like to know what system is going to be set up for overseas nurses and doctors that have taken the training, however when they do come to Canada they are not qualified. They end up working as labourers in a field that they should be working in and perhaps making sure that they have the training. Are we giving anymore training, are we upgrading? How are we going to address that issue?');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Dianne Watts, Mayor of Surrey asks George Abbott about the qualifications and training provided for immigrating nurses and doctors. showVideoInfo('Calvin Kruk, Mayor of Dawson Creek asks Minister George Abbott about Healthcare in Northern British Columbia.', 'I’d like to know what the Provincial Government is doing to provide access to healthcare in Northern British Columbia?');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Calvin Kruk, Mayor of Dawson Creek asks Minister George Abbott about Healthcare in Northern British Columbia. showVideoInfo('Heidi asks Health Minister George Abbott about support for mental illness, alcoholism and drug addiction', 'What will the government do to improve health care for Canadians suffering from mental illness, alcoholism and drug addiction?');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Heidi asks Health Minister George Abbott about support for mental illness, alcoholism and drug addiction showVideoInfo('A number of British Columbians have asked Health Minister George Abbott about access to MRI scans.', 'What is government doing to help increase patient access to MRI scans?');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">A number of British Columbians have asked Health Minister George Abbott about access to MRI scans. showVideoInfo('Connie asks Finance Minister Carole Taylor about where Health Care dollars are spent.', 'Where is the money going? How much do the CEOs and staff earn? How many people are working in the various offices? How much goes to nurses, doctors and hospitals?');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Connie asks Finance Minister Carole Taylor about where Health Care dollars are spent. showVideoInfo('A number of British Columbians have asked Education Minister Shirley Bond about the prevention of chronic disease.', 'What is government doing to help reduce the number of people with chronic diseases (i.e. diabetes, cancer, heart disease)?');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">A number of British Columbians have asked Education Minister Shirley Bond about the prevention of chronic disease. showVideoInfo('Jacquie asks Health Minister George Abbott about substance abuse.', '');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Jacquie asks Health Minister George Abbott about substance abuse. showVideoInfo('Norman asks Health Minister George Abbott about wait times.', '');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Norman asks Health Minister George Abbott about wait times. showVideoInfo('Stewart asks Minister of State for ACTNow BC Gordon Hogg about funding to expand bike lanes.', '');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Stewart asks Minister of State for ACTNow BC Gordon Hogg about funding to expand bike lanes. showVideoInfo('Peter asks Health Minister George Abbott about private clinics.', '');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Peter asks Health Minister George Abbott about private clinics. showVideoInfo('Heather asks Minister of State for ActNow BC Gordon Hogg about funding for healthy living.', '');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Heather asks Minister of State for ActNow BC Gordon Hogg about funding for healthy living. showVideoInfo('Monica asks Health Minister George Abbott about caring for the mentally ill.', '');" class="videoItemLink" href="#videoTop">Monica asks Health Minister George Abbott about caring for the mentally ill.

Milestones in Public Health Care