SYDNEY, N.S. — The NDP’s health critic says elective surgeries were cancelled at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital this week because of a lack of beds, while beds were empty at the Glace Bay hospital due to a lack of doctors.
Cape Breton Centre MP Tammy Martin raised the issue in question period this week at the legislature in Halifax.
“It goes back to the ongoing health-care crisis,” Martin said in an interview.
“It’s beyond an emergency. Imagine, the biggest hospital, the regional hospital in Cape Breton, and they can’t perform surgeries and they have nowhere to admit patients.
“This is a catastrophe.”
A number of doctors have withdrawn from providing in-patient coverage at the Glace Bay Hospital due to an inequity in the pay offered to doctors there versus just down the road in Sydney. That has resulted in some beds being unused at the community hospital.
“We have empty beds, we just don’t have the health authority willing to do what they need to do to ensure that these patients are out of emergency,” Martin said.
She added that, in speaking with hospital staff, these situations are now “the expected norm” due to how often they occur.
Carla Adams, a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Health Authority, confirmed there was a total of 35 vacant beds Thursday at the Glace Bay, New Waterford and North Sydney hospitals. She also confirmed that eight surgeries were cancelled on Thursday, with another five cancelled Friday.
Adams said they were not blanket cancellations and all necessary surgeries took place. She also noted there were 19 alternative level of care patients — patients who don’t necessarily require acute-level care — in acute care beds Thursday, which contributes to the access block and is a continuing issue across provincial health facilities.
In the legislature, Martin said it was her understanding that about 30 patients who were admitted in the ER Thursday would remain there, on stretchers, hoping they would get beds.
“While the hospital is following protocol in cancelling surgeries, the root cause of the cancellation is the fact that there are no beds for surgical patients to recover in,” Martin said. “However, funny enough, at the Glace Bay Hospital, 25 beds sit empty. Does the minister really think this is the best use of our resources?”
In response, Health Minister Randy Delorey said the government recognizes the importance of providing care to Nova Scotians in primary care and community settings, which is why it is investing in programs to support the expansion of Pharmacare.
“The effect of our investments and the work that we've been doing, we've seen the number of people in Nova Scotia registered for a primary care provider from this time last year to this time this year ... has reduced by 12 per cent,” Delorey said.
He added that work is ongoing to address the issues raised by Martin.
Martin said when issues are raised about the current state of care in Cape Breton, health officials are quick to detail the redevelopment plans. She said many of those details are welcome, but immediate needs aren’t being met.
“We need investment right now, we need changes today,” Martin said, adding those necessary changes include improvements to long-term care and ambulance service.
“We can’t do that when there’s no beds to offload the patients.
RELATED:
