Health clock shows medicare investment in individual British Columbians

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The provincial government invests about $8 a day in health care for individual British Columbians and the public can keep track of this investment second-by-second on a clock hosted by the Hospital Employees’ Union at www.bchealthconversation.ca.

The clock provides an alternative view of health spending from both the system-wide spending counter launched today by the Vancouver Board of Trade and a similar counter the government has on its Conversation on Health website.

HEU secretary-business manager Judy Darcy says the government and Board of Trade clocks are little more than manipulative PR stunts that aren’t fooling anyone.

“The truth of the matter is that under this government per capita health spending has declined in relation to other provinces from second to sixth place,” says Darcy.

“The public deserves to have an honest and open dialogue about positive public solutions that will improve health care in our communities. But these clocks are really just conversation stoppers.”

The clock sponsored by HEU shows total provincial government health spending on each British Columbian – about 6 cents every 10 minutes.

The site also points out how the provincial investment in the health care of British Columbians has remained relatively stable as a proportion of the economy – about seven cents on the dollar.