Surrey: The Surrey Board of Trade is pleased to see the release of the report from the Minister of Health, on the Fraser Health Authority and its impact on Surrey. We realize that the rapid growth of the region is certainly problematic. The Surrey Board of Trade is very pleased with the recent upgrades of new and existing facilities. However, we are concerned with the serious funding imbalance in comparison our neighbour, Vancouver Coastal Health.

We are referring to the per patient funding inequity.  In the Vancouver Coastal Health the per patient allocation is $3,000, whereas in the Fraser Health Authority, after consideration of the central services provided by Vancouver Coastal Health, the allocation is $1,500 per patient. This is a serious imbalance and needs to be resolved given the continued and anticipated population growth in the region.

“If this is addressed in the report released today, it is not readily apparent,” said Anita Huberman, CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade. “We will be asking Minister Terry Lake to meet with us to discuss this issue. We would like to offer our assistance in any effort to improve the provision of health services in Surrey.