1877 people have died while waiting for long-term care placement over the last five years

NSHA data shows there is a need for more nursing home beds.

HALIFAX – According to a Freedom of Information request received by the NDP Caucus, 1,877 people died while waiting for long-term care placement over the past five years.

“The health care crisis is having real and dramatic impacts on people’s lives. There are people coming to the end of their lives in our hospitals who should have been receiving the benefits of proper long-term care,” said NDP Leader Gary Burrill.

The documents also show that over that same timespan, 2,281 people waited in hospital for placement in a nursing home for between 91 to 365 days. There were 123 people who waited in hospital beds for more than a year.

“There is a desperate need for more nursing home beds in our province,” said Tammy Martin, MLA for Cape Breton Centre and NDP Spokesperson for Health. “The Liberals’ failure to open even one additional nursing home bed has added to the crisis in our hospitals and put many families in a crisis in their homes.”

The Liberal government has not opened a single new nursing home bed since being elected in 2013. When the Liberals assumed office in 2013 there were plans to build more than 348 additional long-term care beds.

There are currently 1,128 people on the waitlist for placement in a long-term care facility.

• 30 –