Richmond BC NDP candidates made a last-minute announcement about new urgent and primary care centre in South Richmond just days before the provincial election.
Vancouver Coastal Health, however, declined to comment on the timeline and development of a new urgent care clinic given that it's an "interregmum" period between governments.
Urgent and Primary Care Clinics (UPCC) provide same-day care for urgent and non-life-threatening health concerns in case people are unable to get in touch with their family doctor or nurse practitioner.
Two urgent and primary care clinics operate in Richmond, one on No. 3 Road in city centre and another in East Richmond.
The new South Richmond centre was part of a promise made by BC NDP candidates in Richmond in the lead-up to the election, if they were to be re-elected.
It appears the NDP could form a minority government, although two ridings, one on Vancouver Island and one in Surrey, will have ballots recounted by Elections BC due to the fact the main candidates are separated by fewer than 100 votes.
Three out of the four ridings in Richmond have elected Conservative MLAs as per the results of the Oct. 19 provincial election. BC Conservative candidates Hon Chan, Steve Kooner, and Teresa Wat were elected in Richmond Centre, Richmond-Queensborough and Richmond-Bridgeport respectively.
BC NDP candidate Kelly Greene was re-elected in Richmond-Steveston.
UPCCs offer same-day care without an appointment and connect families with family doctors and practitioners for primary care. The clinics also have extended hours of service on evenings and weekends to offer expanded care.
In its announcement, the BC NDP said the initiative is part of the party's Action Plan which aims to make health care more accessible by hiring more doctors and nurses, increasing training seats, providing provisional licences to get health-care workers working more quickly, building and expanding hospitals and providing recruitment incentives.
The plan also aims to match everyone registered on the health care registry with a doctor by 2025.
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