Furey says N.L. health-care system is 'broken' after Haggie announces new measures
CBC
Premier Andrew Furey said Monday he still has confidence in Health Minister John Haggie, even as Furey called aspects of the province's health-care system "a crisis," a phrase which the health minister has so far avoided using.
While he didn't say the health-care system as a whole is in crisis, Furey did say the problems many face in health care do constitute a crisis.
"It's a crisis for those experiencing the system when it doesn't work for them, it's a crisis because of the pandemic, in fact, it's amplified by the pandemic. The system is broken," said Furey during question period.
Haggie held an unexpected briefing an hour and a half before the opening of the legislature to announce measures to address the province's family doctor shortage.
The measures include new collaborative team clinics, which use nurse practitioners and other health-care workers to address patient needs in addition to a family physician.
The province plans to expand seats in nursing programs, particularly in rural areas.
Haggie said the province will establish a health-care worker recruitment office, and create a pilot program to guarantee full time salary for physicians who open a new family practice for two years.
When asked why it has taken so long for the province to address problems in primary care, Haggie, who has been health minister since 2015, said he was first focused on improving the mental health-care system, and then had to divert resources to address the pandemic.
"The reason that is taking so long, quite frankly, is we have limited resources within the department...and these people have been working round the clock for 18 months, keeping everyone safe," he said.
Furey reiterated his confidence in the health minister during question period, but did not specifically address the minister's performance. Furey said the health department is implementing short, medium and long term strategies to address problems in health care.
Members of the opposition parties questioned both the timing and substance of the announcement.
Opposition leader David Brazil told reporters that the health minister made the health-care announcements because he has been "pushed into a corner." Brazil said many of the new measures had already been in play.
"I'm not reassured that the health portfolio is going in the right direction," he said.
Brazil said he was pleased to see the premier use the word "crisis" to describe the province's health-care system, but criticized the health minister for avoiding the term.
When Stephanie Gamble watched her mother model the first dress she made, smiling wide and walking an imaginary runway, she knew that was what she wanted to keep doing in her life.
'Tis the season for cuddling on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and watching holiday movies. And for people in B.C.'s Interior, that can increasingly mean seeing their home communities on display.
Every year, snowy owls spread their wings and migrate down to the Prairies, where they enjoy access to plenty of rodent prey in vast open spaces.
This month has been a busy stretch at the Upper Room Food Bank in Charlottetown.
N.W.T. Education Minister Caitlin Cleveland says she has received the final report from an independent investigation into education bodies in the Dehcho region.
P.E.I.’s auditor general says he’s concerned and disappointed that the projected deficit has doubled what government initially estimated it would be — and he's urging the province to balance its budget.
A man found not criminally responsible for stabbing five people to death at a Calgary house party is getting more freedoms but not an absolute discharge.
A man has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of a Toronto mother outside a supervised consumption site in Leslieville.
Russian olive trees — sometimes known as silver berry or oleaster — are small, ornamental plants with silvery leaves and black bark, and small yellow flowers and silver fruit that look like miniature olives. They’re pretty, but they’re a problem.
The Yukon Legislative Assembly’s fall sitting ended on Thursday after the territorial government introduced and passed a supplementary budget.
A Canadian military counter-intelligence operative, who stands accused of passing sensitive information to Ukraine, was involved in an investigation into allegations that a leading Canadian defence journalist was a longtime Russian asset.
An Alberta panel aimed at finding ways the province can strengthen its autonomy has offered up seven recommendations, including options for referendum topics.
People won't be able to travel along B.C.'s Highway 3 without significant delays and detours over the holiday season, says the Ministry of Transportation.