Burrill and Martin to speak at Cape Breton Health Care Rally

100,000 still without family doctor

SYDNEY – NDP Leader Gary Burrill will speak at the Save our Services rally planned for Sunday, November 12 at 1pm outside the Cape Breton Regional Hospital.

“Cape Breton is dealing with a health care crisis and Stephen McNeil refuses to acknowledge it,” said Burrill. “People need to come together and stand up for more doctors and nurses, a reversal of the cuts to nursing homes, and real action on mental health.”

Burrill will be joined by Cape Breton Centre MLA Tammy Martin, who is also the NDP spokesperson for Health.

“Our emergency rooms are regularly closed and we are losing doctors because of the Liberals' mismanagement of health care,” said Martin. “The centralized Health Authority isn’t paying enough attention to Cape Breton. I urge all Cape Bretoners who are worried about their access to health care to join us on Sunday.”

Roughly 100,000 Nova Scotians do not have a family doctor and the government’s list of people actively looking for a primary physician increased to almost 40,000 in October. The New Waterford collaborative emergency centre's mobile care team was shut-down in June and emergency room closures are happening more and more frequently.

In addition to the health care rally Burrill will be in Cape Breton Monday and Tuesday meeting community members and local groups.

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