Fearing for future of health care, Cape Breton doctors appeal to political parties
The 3 major parties are invited to a public meeting scheduled for Sunday in Sydney Mines
Dozens of Cape Breton doctors plan to join together over the weekend to draw attention to issues they'd like to see addressed in the provincial election campaign.
The crux of their concerns is the downsizing of medical services provided in Cape Breton.
"In the last two years, my sense — and the sense of my colleagues and much of the public I've spoken to — the sense is that we're unbuilding what we've taken so long to build," said Dr. Craig Stone, a Sydney anesthesiologist and president of the Cape Breton Medical Staff Association.
Feared loss of ER department
The first key issue that will be part of a public meeting scheduled for Sunday is the feared loss of the emergency department at the Northside General Hospital in North Sydney.
"The rumour mill is that the government's been looking at closing it for some time," said Stone. "But recently there's been an effort to reduce the pay of the ER docs, relative to what they've always earned, and relative to other zones in the province.
"The fear is that this will discourage physicians from working there. And if they don't work there, then we're going to lose the ER."
Last week, Health Minister Leo Glavine said those salaries would not be cut, but Stone questioned how long that commitment would hold.
The Northside General ER sees 10,000 patients per year and emergency rooms in neighbouring communities in the CBRM are already very busy, Stone said.
More physicians needed
The association also wants to address the loss of physicians in recent years.
The area has lost expertise in fields such as vascular surgery, thoracics and infectious disease services, said Stone.
"It seems that all these patients now are going to Halifax," he said. "And I think that's wrong."
In a statement, the Nova Scotia Health Authority said it takes physician recruitment very seriously and efforts are ongoing.
Non-partisan event
The public meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday at Memorial High School in Sydney Mines.
Sixty physicians from Cape Breton have agreed to take part.
It's a non-partisan event with invitations going out to the three main political parties and to the health authority, said Stone.
"It's at this time of the election cycle that the politicians will listen to us. And hopefully they'll come out and say what they will do to address these things. And the public will vote accordingly."