December 4, 2025
Parteek Singh Mahal
Premier David Eby mounted a strong defense of his government’s plan to overhaul the healthcare system’s administration, publicly agreeing with criticism that too much money is being spent on bureaucracy rather than frontline services.
Speaking with RED FM, the Premier addressed pointed concerns over the estimated $347 million in health administration expenses and the number of high-paid vice-presidents within regional bodies like Fraser Health and Coastal Health. Premier Eby confirmed a “very significant announcement this week” that details the progress of the effort led by Health Minister Josie Osborne to ensure funding directly benefits patients.
“We absolutely need to reduce those administration costs,” Premier Eby affirmed, outlining a comprehensive, multi-pronged strategy designed to achieve greater efficiency, transparency, and savings.
“The government plans to dramatically reduce the size of these health authorities, which have often been criticized for creating barriers between government and care providers,” he said.
He said by consolidating procurement functions, the province will centralize bulk buying of supplies. Eby cited the purchase of simple supplies like gloves, ensuring cheaper prices province-wide and reducing redundant purchasing departments.
The strategy involves utilizing new technology offered by BC companies to solve inefficiencies. Eby noted that outdated structures often block the adoption of efficient, time-saving tech solutions, a primary source of “biggest frustrations” among staff.
The Premier also noted that significant work to reduce the administrative footprint is already underway, claiming the government has reduced administrative positions equivalent to “more than a thousand” full-time employees from health authorities in recent months.
Beyond simple cost-cutting, Premier Eby framed the systemic goal as closing the distance between decision-makers and care providers. He acknowledged that medical professionals often feel “very frustrated because they have ideas about how to make things more efficient… but it gets blocked by these health authorities that are between them and government.”
The restructuring, he stated, is intended to empower those delivering care directly.
“We’re going to shrink that distance between the frontline workers and government so we can work together to deliver a more efficient health care system,” Eby said, concluding that while this necessary restructuring “is not work that happens overnight,” it is being executed without compromising patient care.
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