Explain why healthcare is inaccessible - QP
CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. This government promised to fix health care. By every measure so far, that promise has not been kept and Nova Scotians are experiencing the painful consequences.
Yesterday. the Nova Scotia Health Authority issued a blanket warning about overcrowding in emergency rooms in all zones. Things have gotten so bad that the government's legislative committee members have begun to hide the Nova Scotia Health Authority interim CEO from the public, and this month's doctor wait-list numbers are mysteriously late.
My question is, will the Premier explain what has gone so terribly wrong?
THE PREMIER « » : Mr. Speaker, what I would say is that this government - look, there are real issues in health care. There's no question about that. Issues around access to care are decades-standing, for sure. They're going to take time to fix, and they're going to take money to fix. But I will assure Nova Scotians that we are committed to making sure that they can access the health care they need when they need it and where they need it. Under the leadership of the minister and the senior health leadership team and everyone working in health care, we are making changes that will have an impact over the course of time.
They will take time, Mr. Speaker, but this government, in terms of what is really happening in the health care system, is the most transparent. We have a whole website where we give out every statistic of what's going on. We want Nova Scotians to know what's happening in their health care system, and we are very forthright about it.
CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, the sad fact is that most Nova Scotians can't access any health care any time they need it anywhere in the province.
The Premier says that the real work is happening, but Nova Scotians aren't so sure. A Narrative Research poll released recently showed that 83 per cent of Nova Scotians rated the quality of health care available in the province as fair or poor. This is worse than before this government was elected on a single promise.
Does the Premier know something that patients and their families don't?
THE PREMIER « » : The question around access to health care is something that we're very focused on, because that's where Nova Scotians asked us to focus. We continue to focus there.
We know there are issues. The issues are national for sure. The same survey, if you read into the fine print, asked people how they feel when they have an interaction with the health care system, and it's pretty positive. You know why that is, Mr. Speaker? Because we have the best health care professionals working very hard to provide health care every single day.
The member opposite would have you believe that nobody is accessing health care in the province. That is absolutely wrong. We have a long way to go, but people can get tremendous care in this health care system in Nova Scotia.
We'll continue to work to fix it. We know there's work to be done.
CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Just to clear up the record, I spent yesterday at the Dartmouth General Hospital personally thanking all of the health care workers in my community. I am not saying anything about the health care workers. I am talking about this government and their efforts to fix health care.
One wrinkle faced by many people is the fact that they can't afford the cost of their prescriptions. A survey by Feed Nova Scotia found that 50 per cent of respondents - 50 per cent - didn't fill or collect a prescription for their medication or had skipped a dose in the last 12 months because they didn't have enough money. When people are forced to scrimp or save and not take important medication, they end up sick, and they often end up looking for health care that isn't there.
This Summer, when I asked the Premier if he would waive Pharmacare fees, he said that I had raised an important question and that he could certainly take that away and look at it. I'll table that.
Mr. Speaker, I'll ask the Premier again: Will he do this one straightforward specific thing to make sure that people are able to afford their drugs and eliminate Pharmacare fees for at least one year?
THE PREMIER « » : It is an important - of course we want everyone to take the prescriptions that have been issued to them by health care professionals. Of course, every Nova Scotian wants that.
I will say that we did a tour last Fall talking to health care professionals. I know the minister and the senior leadership team are going to do that tour again coming up. There's a lot that's going on. There's a lot of interaction with health care professionals. There's a lot of listening to health care professionals. That's something that they're still pleased to have happen. They're not used to it in this province. We respect health care professionals and we will listen to health care professionals because we know that getting care for Nova Scotians is the only thing that matters to Nova Scotians and it's a high priority for us.