Fraser Health wants local taxpayers to triple the amount they pay towards hospital capital and infrastructure projects over the next four years and kick in more than $20 million over that time span.
But Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun, who chairs the board of the District (FVRHD), says increasing health care funding isn鈥檛 a burden that should fall on the shoulders of local government.
The to request an increase in annual funding from the current $1.8 million to $5.75 million, and discussions between the two organizations continue.
This year, an Abbotsford house worth $588,000 would pay $99 towards local hospitals. The Fraser Health proposal would push that sum over $300.
Hospital districts like the FVRHD are asked to fund a portion of infrastructure projects 鈥� often around 40 per cent 鈥� in local facilities. Money is raised through property taxes. The local share of funding is just a tiny part of Fraser Health鈥檚 $3.3 billion annual budget.
Braun said the board has been reviewing Fraser Health鈥檚 request and is likely to kick in more money. But he suggested Fraser Health won鈥檛 likely get the full amount requested, and said some of the projects could be classified as repair and maintenance, which is not to be funded through hospital boards. Braun also said the 40 per cent share is 鈥渘ot cast in stone.鈥�
In a PowerPoint presentation shown to hospital district members in the fall, Fraser Health CEO Michael Marchbank outlined more than $67 million in infrastructure spending between 2017 and 2022 with which the health authority wants help. Fraser Health hopes the hospital district would kick in around $26 million towards that cost.
Most of that infrastructure spending would be on what the Fraser Health deems to be 鈥渆quipment over $100,000,鈥� defined as 鈥減riorities that cannot be further delayed.鈥�
The biggest projects for this year include a $1.4 million 鈥渕ultipurpose angio/interventional suite鈥� at Abbotsford Regional Hospital (ARH), and $1.2 million in 鈥減atient monitoring鈥� equipment at Chilliwack General Hospital (CGH).
The health authority is also undertaking a $6.7 million upgrade to Fraser Canyon Hospital鈥檚 electrical system and a $2.7 million expansion of Mission鈥檚 community health centre.
Beyond this spring, Fraser Health鈥檚 budget foresees a need for $25 million of equipment upgrades at ARH and $13 million of new equipment at CGH.
Fraser Health spokesperson Tasleem Juma said that with ARH coming up on 10 years of operation, more equipment at the hospital is in need of replacement. If the hospital board refuses to fund the full amount requested, that doesn鈥檛 mean the equipment won鈥檛 be purchased. Instead, Juma said the health authority will 鈥渓ook for other ways to buy the equipment.鈥�
