B.C.’s health minister has intervened in a dispute over increased fees charged to abortion clinics and instructed provincial health authorities to pay for extra costs so that services for women aren’t reduced.
Terry Lake’s office confirmed Friday he has instructed the Vancouver Coastal and Vancouver Island health authorities to pay for the increased licensing fees being charged to three abortion clinics by the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons.
The move ensures the three community clinics, which also provide women’s health services, can maintain their service levels, Lake’s office said in an email statement.
The two Vancouver-area clinics and one Greater Victoria clinic had warned they might have to reduce service hours to make up the costs, which amounted to almost $9,000 extra per clinic.
NDP critic Maurine Karagianis, who raised the issue in the legislature, applauded Lake for following through on a public promise to solve the problem.
“I’m very excited the minister has stepped up and addressed this issue of new fees for abortion clinics,” said Karagianis, MLA for Esquimalt-Royal Roads. “Kudos to the government for taking care of this. It’s an important women’s service that could not be jeopardized because of additional fees from the college.”
The B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons, which licenses, regulates and disciplines doctors, also charges a fee to accredit certain medical facilities.
The college had said it was increasing fees for abortion clinics to reflect “the trust cost of the service” it provides in licensing.
The women’s clinics had complained they could not cover the extra costs because they offer free services to women and are only reimbursed by the government at basic medical insurance rates.
