NDP introduces legislation to end secret Health Authority meetings

Legislation would also require the NSHA to track and publicly report on additional information

HALIFAX – Today, the NDP Caucus will introduce legislation aimed at increasing the transparency and accountability of the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

The legislation would require the Health Authority to hold meetings open to the public and to post meeting minutes online. A second bill would require the NSHA to publicly report on additional information including how many visits to emergency rooms are made by people without a family doctor and how many hospital beds are being used by people waiting for placement in a nursing home.

“It’s time to end secret meetings at the Health Authority,” said Tammy Martin, NDP Spokesperson for Health. “We are in a health care crisis and we can’t find solutions that will work if the public doesn’t know what’s on the agenda.”

John Malcom is the former CEO of the Cape Breton District Health Authority. He has been outspoken about the centralized Health Authority’s failure to properly represent Cape Breton.

“I think this is an important step forward to having transparency with what’s actually happening at the Health Authority,” said Malcom. “The provincial role of the Health Authority has meant that the local connection with communities has been lost. We need to make sure the flow of information runs two ways.”

The NDP legislation will be introduced Tuesday afternoon. Nova Scotia is the only province in Canada where all health authority meetings are held in private.

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