Reading your paper on Friday brought forth many questions such as why the secrecy.
It is obvious that little consultation between VIHA and local residents has taken place when VIHA talks about the convenience of centralizing services.
In Qualicum Beach all doctors offices are within three blocks of Lifelabs. If you find there is standing room only you may choose to do some shopping until the line is shorter.
The new centre will require a 15-minute drive with no other options available. Who does that convenience, the system or the citizen?
No doubt VIHA will go to great lengths to give the appearance of a hospital, even to the point of installing parking meters.
Joe Murphy (VIHA vice-president of operations) speaks of more than 3,000 employees who buy houses, pay local taxes and do much of their shopping in local stores, so the money ($165,000,000) they make comes right back into the local community.
This confirms the observation I made when I was on the NGRH board that the chief reason the Nanaimo members opposed a hospital in our area was that they saw the hospital as a green industry for Nanaimo.
Art Skipsey
Qualicum Beach