According to Margaret Lonsdale there seems to be some confusion about distance and travel time to the hospital. From my residence it is 49 or 50 km, according to which road in the city you chose. I have set my odometer many times, showing it as a 100 km round trip. Depending on traffic my best time is between 40 and 45 minutes and that has not changed much over the past 30 years. In 2004 I made that trip 21 consecutive days.
In the case of a heart attack or stroke there is a one-hour window of time to receive injections or risk being DOA. We need advanced training for our paramedics in view of the travel time. An emergency response team located in Nanaimo is cold comfort.
There has not been a single bed added to the hospital since 1963 in spite of the growth in population and the ageing of residents. The government has been eager to collect the revenue from taxes the new residents have paid in addition to the resource revenue collected but unwilling to spend to accommodate the growth.
VIHA is playing Russian Roulette with our lives for political motives in the construction of the clinic. I urge readers to write the premier, our MLA and the local politicians and tell them this is unacceptable. Make democracy work.
Arthur N. Skipsey
Qualicum Beach