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Letter: Ministry of Health employees make too much money

Note that Island Health paid out $20,294,420 more in wages than Vancouver Coastal
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Ministry of Health employees make too much money

B.C. ministry of health financial statements ending March 31, 2021 show that B.C. health care workers are paid excellent wages.

Island Health paid out $1,370,805,875 in wages with $715,928,455 or 52 per cent of employees earning more than $75,000 per year.

Fraser Health paid out $1,824,766,326 in wages with $1,022,135,501 or 56 per cent of employees earning more than $75,000 per year.

Vancouver Coastal paid out $1,350,511,455 in wages with $771,927,987 or 57 per cent of employees earning more than $75,000 per year.

Interior Health paid out $1,263,268,509 in wages with $616,614,060 or 49 per cent of employees earning more than $75,000 per year.

Northern Health paid out $491,035,340 in wages with $251,919,403 or 51 per cent of employees earning more than $75,000 per year.

Note that Island Health paid out $20,294,420 more in wages than Vancouver Coastal which raises a red flag because Vancouver Coastal has a higher population number. Vancouver health authority serves 1.25 million people in comparison to Island health which serves 850,000 people.

Island health employs 23,000 workers in comparison to 20,000 workers in Vancouver Coastal. Why does Island health require 3,000 more employees?

All health care jurisdictions have an executive board and these executive board employees receive a yearly two per cent performance wage and are reimbursed for their yearly car insurance premiums. Another red flag. Why a performance wage, paid by taxpayer dollars?

In 2021, the federal government of Canada transferred $5.8 billion to the B.C. government to be applied to the health care ministry. Seems shameful when all it does is subsidize the high cost of employee wages.

Unbelievable!

Joe Sawchuk

Duncan