Abbotsford's police force turns to private medical company to avoid long ER waits for prisoners

Ongoing emergency room delays at Abbotsford Regional Hospital have prompted the city’s police department to turn to a private health company to handle basic medical needs for jail prisoners.

The move is meant to free up police officers who are required to wait with prisoners in the hospital’s emergency department—sometimes for as long as eight hours. But one expert notes that the use of private medical services by public bodies, if it becomes widespread, could further aggravate the issues facing Canada’s health system ...

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