After four years, Islanders have grown frustrated by the lack of vision and the lack of plan the conservative government has provided on the health care file.
The results over that time speak for themselves:
- The patient registry has grown from 7,000 to over 32,000 Islanders, an increase of over 350%.
- Rural emergency rooms and Collaborative Emergency Centres are either overcrowded or shut down regularly, leaving more and more Islanders with even less access to emergency services.
- Despite promises, the Government has not increased recruitment spending for doctors over the last two years and underspent in 2021/2022 by $400k.
Today, PEI Liberal Leader Sharon Cameron announced that under Healthcare First, a Liberal government would introduce systemic changes to the Leadership of Health Delivery on Prince Edward Island.
“There has been a vacuum of leadership and accountability for health care delivery under this government,” said Cameron. “We’ve had two consecutive Ministers of Health that have been nowhere to be seen during a global pandemic and in the midst of a healthcare crisis.”
The PEI Liberal Party’s Healthcare First platform provides the vision and the plan to improve health care for Islanders. A Liberal government will:
- Place ministerial responsibility for health under the purview of the Premier for the first two years of its mandate;
- Table a new Patients’ Rights Act to give Islanders legal rights when it comes to timely access to healthcare services;
- Create a Department for Mental Health and Addictions because Liberals know that mental health is health.
“Our healthcare crisis calls for bold, deliberate action. Having the full force of government behind the implementation of system-wide changes will immediately improve accountability for decision-making,” said Cameron. “Without a vision and a plan, this government has relied on gift cards and gimmicks, offering no lasting change or solution.”
“As a former Deputy Minister for multiple departments, I understand the scope of the changes needed to better align departments and agencies to implement the changes we improve Islanders’ access to the care they need,” Cameron continued. “This is not the time to play games or politics with our healthcare system. We need a plan and leadership to resolve this crisis.”