The provincial Liberal government set its sights on health care for their 2019-2020 budget, but most say it missed the mark.
“We are really disappointed in the budget,” said Nan McFadgen, CUPE Nova Scotia president, speaking of the money allocated to long-term care.
Long-term care sat lower in the rankings on the health-care budget, with an increase of $2.8 million to “implement findings of the expert panel,” providing more cash for wound care, service co-ordination and staffing, states budget documents.
While part of the funding will go toward planning for the construction of new long-term care facilties, none will be opened this year. Long-term care beds will be added in Cape Breton.
“The budget says 120 new beds, but two of those facilities are for the overflow from the closures of two hospitals, so it sounds like new beds, but really we’re only going to see 28 new beds in Nova Scotia,” said McFadgen.
“Unless I missed it, I thought it was a little shy on the specifics,” said Janet Hazelton, Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union president.
“I think everyone was looking and hoping there would be something more for long-term care,” said Hazelton.
The nurses’ union president was pleased, however, with the $10 million increase for collaborative care teams.
“If it’s mostly for staff, that’s a significant investment,” said Hazelton.
The increase in primary health-care funding will help decrease the stress on emergency departments, she said.
“Primary health care was what we were asking for predominantly,” said Hazelton.
Also to Hazelton’s pleasing is the addition of 25 more seats in the nurse practitioner education incentive at Dalhousie University over two years.
“We continue to hire almost all of the nursing grads that go through our universities,” said Premier Stephen McNeil.
“We continue to make sure we advance and provide supports for nurse practitioners, which are an important part of these delivery teams,” said McNeil.
But Hazelton was among the minority of pleased people in the industry.
“The Nova Scotia government today missed the opportunity to seize a competitive advantage in the physician recruitment space, and worse, has allowed our province to fall further behind neighbouring provinces,” said Kevin Chapman, finance director of Doctors Nova Scotia.
Dalhousie University Medical School will open 15 new residency spaces for speciality medical positions after a $2.9 million increase and 10 new family practice residency seats with a $1.1 million increase.
The government devoted $200,000, as part of the Culture Innovation Fund, for doctor recruitment from Nova Scotia communities.
“We are already struggling to compete with New Brunswick because their physicians are often paid much more than Nova Scotia physicians,” said Chapman, noting Doctors N.S. has 200 vacancies with more than 41,000 patients waiting for a doctor.
Emergency Health Services are to receive a $4.6 million increase for ground ambulance call volume and contract increases, but not specifically for additional ambulances.
Mike Nickerson, president of the Nova Scotia paramedics union local, recently told The Chronicle Herald “we need more ambulances on the road immediately.”
Nickerson said the need of 30 additional ambulances and 200 paramedics provincewide, as was told recently to the legislative health committee, was accurate.
Community care and mental health and addictions services are to receive $16.8 million and $11.7 million, respectively, as part of a five-year bilateral agreement between the federal and provincial governments.
“We have continued doing what’s working and have introduced programs that will help address problems, like mental health for example, which is one of the things that we recognize is an important part of all Nova Scotians health,” said Finance Minister Karen Casey.
The QEII New Generation and Cape Breton Regional Municipality Health Care Redevelopment projects took the top funding spot with $156.9 million to be invested this year.
The QEII project will create new operating rooms, cancer care centre and community outpatient centre, while the Cape Breton project is to provide new community health centres, a community-based paramedic program and expand emergency departments at Cape Breton Regional and Glace Bay hospitals.
The government also allotted a $1 million increase to complete the provincewide SchoolsPlus expansion and $600,000 for HealthyMindsNS.
“I would argue that the investments that we’re making, physical infrastructure of health care is unprecedented in our province’s history,” said McNeil.
Pharmacare programs will see an increase in $8.4 million, while orthopedic services for hip and knee replacements will receive a $2.2 million increase.
The Nova Scotia Health Authority will receive $1.76 billion after coming in $65 million over budget last year.
“I don’t think government acknowledged the crisis with the budget,” said Tim Houston, provincial Progressive Conservative leader.
Gary Burrill, provincial NDP leader, also wasn’t impressed with the Liberal’s budget.
“For three years at least, the health budget has been kept flat, so that means in real dollars it’s gone behind two or three per cent every year,” said Burrill.
“So now this year if you increase it by six per cent all you’re doing is getting back to zero, which you hadn’t invested in the three years previous, so this is nothing for them to crow very long about,” said Burrill.
With files from Francis Campbell, The Chronicle Herald
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