Surrey received some super news early this week that a new medical school will come to SFU Surrey and the provincial government is investing as much as $4.9 million to support the cause.
Premier David Eby made the announcement Monday at SFU Surrey.
Shocking though it is, it will come as no surprise that our health-care system is cratering on many fronts.
Anyone who has found themselves lining up with dozens of other people before 6 a.m. outside a walk-in clinic, hoping to secure an appointment with a doctor, understands just how dire things have become.
SEE ALSO: New medical school coming to SFU Surrey, province announces
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Having a family doctor to call your own is becoming increasingly rare. Again, no great revelation there.
So while the SFU medical school is most welcome news, certainly more must be done to address the crisis in the here and now.
The NDP promised to bring this about during its 2020 election campaign, and deserves credit for moving forward. We can’t accuse it of acting too rapidly, though. The school aims to accept its first students by September 2026.
That will seem like an eternity to people needing care today, tomorrow, next month and next year.
While bringing a new medical school to Surrey, a city that is bursting with growth, is definitely a step in the right direction, the government needs to step up its game before the province’s health-care system gets even worse than it already is.
edit@surreynowleader.com
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