Health authority meetings should be open

Our health care system is in crisis and if I’ve learned anything over the last nine months as an MLA it’s that you can’t fix the problems you can’t see. Unfortunately, that idea doesn’t seem clear to those directing our health care system.

We need a better way of understanding the challenges our health care system is facing. That’s why, the NDP Caucus will introduce legislation to open Nova Scotia Health Authority meetings and require them to track and publish key information on the state of our health care system.

In Canada today Nova Scotia is the only province where health authority meetings are not open to the public.

We need to know the percentage of people showing up at our emergency rooms who don’t have a regular medical doctor, and what the actual wait times are in emergency rooms across the province, and how many patients are stuck in hospital waiting for a spot in a long-term care facility.

There is lots of work to do. We need more doctors and we need to support the doctors we have. Our ERs are closed too often. Communities need to know they can count on local services to be available when they need them.

This is just the first step. With more information we’ll be able to make sure communities get the care they deserve.

The NDP is ready and willing to name the health care crisis and start working on solutions. Tammy Martin

MLA, Cape Breton Centre NDP Spokesperson for Health