Opposition parties pressure province on Islanders' access to health care

Islanders in need of health care without a primary physician can use walk-in clinics or virtual care, but Green Party MLA Matt MacFarlane wants to know just how accessible the services are to those in need.

"These clinics would be more accurately called 'get up in the middle of the night and stand in line for hours, with no guarantee that you'll actually ever be seen' clinics," he said to Health and Wellness Minister Mark McLane at the legislature Tuesday.

There is a request for proposals going out soon for virtual care, said McLane. He said it won't be a solution but rather another avenue for Islanders to access care.

"We may have one provider, we may two. I'm not really sure on how we'll do it, but again, another entry, another access point for Islanders," he said.

Private company Maple currently provides virtual care to Islanders.

MacFarlane said he recently spoke with the P.E.I. Nurses' Union about the ways nurse practitioners can provide walk-in clinic care.

"One of their asks was to improve the process for nurse practitioners to provide walk-in clinics," he said.

"There's currently no equitable compensation for nurse practitioners who want to provide walk-in clinics, and no clear or easy process for nurse practitioners to access staff or infrastructure to operate a walk-in clinic."

The union's collective agreement expires in March and there have been discussions with the nurse practitioner group, said McLane. 

"I think they're the most eager group in our health-care workforce that continually tells us that they're willing to do more," he said.

There are 14 more nurse practitioners expected to graduate in April and McLane said he's excited to see how the department can maximize their scope.

Further questions on health care on the Island were brought up by Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly. He asked McLane about the April 2023 Health and Wellness mandate letter, in which McLane said the department would:

"We've made some, again, some expansions again, we need space in order to do this," said McLane.

He noted space has been leased in Cornwall with the new Access P.E.I. building so Dr. Padraig Casey's patient medical home clinic can expand.