B.C. has the lowest ratio of registered nurses to population of any province in Canada and has seen a decrease in the ratio of nurses almost every year since 1994.
Fewer nurses means fewer surgeries can be performed.
The Government must recognize the severity of the problem and take steps to address it. According to CIHI statistics, the ratio in B.C. is 68.1 registered nurses per 10,000 people while the Canadian average is 75.4 per 10,000. In B.C. the ratio has declined substantially since 1994 when there were 73.8 registered nurses per 10,000. We can't solve the nurse shortage by simply working nurses harder and increasing overtime. Nurses are reporting situations where they are being pressured to work overtime even when they are exhausted.