Nurses, Health Care Are Budget Priorities
Nova Scotia's 1999-2000 budget, expected next week, will feature a new investment in health care, including money to hire more nurses for the province's hospitals, Health Minister Jim Smith said today, May 26.
Speaking in the legislature, Dr. Smith said the province will fund new full-time nursing positions and convert more casual positions to full time.
"The government has heard the concerns of nurses. We value the vital contribution they make, and we will take immediate action to address the very legitimate issues they have raised," said the minister. "There is a current and a pending nursing shortage in Nova Scotia. To improve the quality of care, we need to correct that problem, and we will."
The government has already begun the process: it has introduced wage parity for nurses across Nova Scotia, and it has begun working with partners in the field to determine future nursing needs.
Dr. Smith also said there will be a focus on nursing education, including a review of the bachelor of nursing and registered nurses programs and development of university outreach programs. Specialty education for nurses, particularly training for operating rooms and the intensive care units, is another priority, the minister said.
The government also plans programs aimed at persuading nurses who have left the province to return and continue their practice here, particularly in rural areas of Nova Scotia.
Addressing the nursing situation is part of the bigger health care picture. Dr. Smith said the upcoming budget will launch action on the health front, with investments in the primary, long-term and acute-care sectors.
In recent years, the federal government cut $340 million from Nova Scotia's health care system. The provincial government responded by putting in more Nova Scotia taxpayer dollars to try to fill the gaps.
"In many cases, we were patching over the cracks left behind by the federal financial withdrawal," said the health minister. "Now it's time to do what's right --to make a real, long-term investment in our health care system."
This year's renewed federal contribution to health care is welcome, but not enough, said Dr. Smith.
Health care costs are currently growing at more than 11 per cent per year in Nova Scotia, a rate that is not sustainable over the long term.
"With the right investments today, we can slow the escalation of costs in health care system," said Dr. Smith. "This is the only way we can provide Nova Scotians with a health care system that is dependable, sustainable and affordable."