The state of British Columbia health care has become a key issue ahead of the provincial election on Oct. 19 as the overburdened system attempts to cope with understaffing, frequent short-term closures of emergency rooms and hundreds of thousands of residents who donsa国际传媒檛 have a family doctor.

Here are some of the health-related election promises from the three major parties:

B.C. New Democrats have promised to:

sa国际传媒� Expand the conditions pharmacists can test and prescribe for to include more common illnesses such as strep throat, urinary tract infections and renal function.

sa国际传媒� Getting more qualified medical professionals back to work by providing immediate provisional licences for doctors, nurses, and midwives trained in Canada, and offer the same licences in six weeks for professionals trained in some regions outside of the country.

sa国际传媒� Reduce time-consuming paperwork for doctors.

sa国际传媒� Add more physician assistants and expand the range of services they provide.

B.C. Conservatives have promised to:

sa国际传媒� Offer care through both public and non-governmental facilities.

sa国际传媒� Implement a sa国际传媒淲ait Time Guaranteesa国际传媒� that would arrange for care outside the province if services were not available in B.C. in a reasonable time.

sa国际传媒� Expand programs to incentivize doctors and nurses to work in high-need communities.

sa国际传媒� Improve reporting on administrative cost, savings and services and establish a mandate for transparent data

sa国际传媒� Compensate health workers who lost their jobs for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

sa国际传媒� Repeal the Health Professions and Occupations Act, sweeping legislation that merges B.C.sa国际传媒檚 health regulatory colleges from 15 to 6 that has been criticized by groups, including doctors and nurses.

B.C. Greens have promised to:

sa国际传媒� Establish a network of 93 community health centres across the province within the first year as part of what the party has called the sa国际传媒淒ogwood model.sa国际传媒� They say the model streamlines complicated referrals and ensures comprehensive care all in one place.

sa国际传媒� Lease and administer work space under the Dogwood model, allowing health-care professionals to focus on patient care.