Editor:
Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health authorities plan to bill seniors a monthly fee to use wheelchairs in our public residential care homes - and at least one region plans to ultimately make seniors buy or rent their own wheelchair at a much higher rate.
Many seniors in residential care homes already have limited financial resources, but do not qualify for fee waivers.
Contrast this with the exorbitant wages the premier plans to pay her staff.
These policies do not reflect the values and priorities of the people of B.C.
Fraser and Vancouver Coastal need to scrap the unfair and ultimately costly wheelchair fee scheme. If they won't, the new Minister of Health needs to intervene to stop the fees and affirm the government's support for compassionate care for everyone -not care based on who is able to pay for it.
Rick Turner, BC Health Coalition co-chair
