A group of physicians plans to set up an unsanctioned overdose prevention site outside Royal Jubilee Hospital on April 13, marking the eve of the ninth anniversary of B.C.’s toxic drug public health emergency.
Doctors for Safer Drug Policy (DSDP), an independent group of physicians from Vancouver Island, say the site will operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to support safety for people accessing the hospital and to highlight the province’s slow progress in establishing hospital-based overdose prevention services.
The move comes a year after the province ordered Island Health to stop work on such services. The group also criticized Health Minister Josie Osborne for ongoing delays, saying overdose prevention sites are medically necessary and have been proven to reduce drug-related harms.
Since the public health emergency was declared in 2016, more than 14,000 people have died from toxic drugs in B.C.
