Emergency room closures up for fourth year in a row

Cape Breton accounts for nearly half of closures

Halifax—The 2017 Accountability Report on Emergency Departments shows that the total number of emergency room closures has gone up every year since the Liberals formed government.

The report, which the government is required to submit annually, was released today – the latest the Liberals have released the report in any year of their mandate.

“In four years, our NDP government steadily reduced ER closures,” said NDP leader Gary Burrill. “Since taking office, the McNeil Liberals have steadily made things worse.”

ERs in Nova Scotia closed for a total of over 25,000 hours this year. Nearly half of the closures occurred in Cape Breton.

“People are being deprived of basic health services, including life-saving emergency care,” said Cape Breton Centre MLA and NDP spokesperson for Health and Wellness Tammy Martin. “We’ve heard enough excuses from the Premier and Health Minister. It’s time to fix this crisis.”

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