NSNDP calls for action plan to address emergency closures and long wait times

HALIFAX –On Wednesday morning, NSNDP Leader Claudia Chender called on the government to deliver an Action Plan that reduces wait times and keeps more emergency departments open in rural Nova Scotia.

As part of the NSNDP’s Opposition Day, New Democrats yesterday forced debate on three pieces of legislation: an Action Plan with measurable targets to reduce wait times in emergency rooms and keep more emergency departments open; a proposal to make birth control, hormone replacement therapy and one round of IVF free for families; and a bill to put an independent Board of Governance back in place to oversee health care decisions and spending.

“More than five years into a mandate to fix healthcare, Nova Scotians still don’t have access to the care they need. They’re waiting years to see a specialist and hour after hour in an emergency room—if they’re lucky enough to have one open in their community,” said Chender. “This government still doesn’t have a clear plan to keep emergency departments open and wait times down with real targets and metrics for success. It’s not about how much money goes out the door—it’s about results Nova Scotians can see and feel.”

According to data from Nova Scotia Health, Emergency room wait times have increased nearly 40 per cent since 2021. The Canso emergency was closed for more than five months last year, and Emergency departments in Lunenburg, Shelburne, Middleton, and Glace Bay were closed more often than they were open.

“Families who count on care at the Cobequid Health Centre, the New Waterford Hub and Glace Bay Hospital have been promised upgrades but years later they’re still waiting,” said Chender. “People have been patient but now they’re fed up.

“If we want to keep Nova Scotians here and our communities thriving, people have to have the health care services they need, when they need it.”

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