update:
Physician coverage has been found for the Roseway Hospital emergency department during the day Friday, Jan 1. This means the emergency department will now be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday. The schedule for the rest of the weekend is posted online: http://www.swndha.nshealth.ca/newsreleases/nr12312015.htm
Emergency department closures at Roseway Hospital have been on the rise since the Liberal Government took office. The accountability report on emergency departments for 2014-15 shows that there are over 650 hours of closure, up from 117 hours the year before. Mr. Speaker, the minister continues to play lip service to this issue but the numbers don't lie. MLA Sterling Belliveau in NS Legislature, Dec 10, 2015
The Nova Scotia Health Authority announced Wednesday that the emergency department at Roseway Hospital, Shelburne, will be closed for total of four times this week.
The closures include:
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Thursday, December 31, closed at 8 a.m., and reopening Saturday, January 2, at 8 a.m.
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Saturday, January 2, closed at 6 p.m., and reopening Sunday, January 3, at 8 a.m.
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Sunday, January 3, closed at 7 p.m., and reopening Monday, January 4, at 8 a.m.
Previously, the Health Authority announced a 24-hour closure on Monday, December 28, closing at 8 a.m., and reopening Tuesday, December 29 at 8 a.m.
Emergency room closure time in Nova Scotia increased by 6,000 hours in 2014-15, with government figures showing a total of 21,936 closure hours for 2014-15. Almost three-quarters of that total, or 15,772 hours, were scheduled, while 6,164 hours were for temporary closures related to staff shortages.
The total the year before was 15,555 hours, with 10,355 being scheduled and 5,200 being from temporary closures. Figures for 2012-13 showed a total of 15,000 closure hours, 8,200 of which were scheduled and 6,800 were due to temporary closures.
Roseway ER is one of the facilities most often closed by the Health Authority,
“Nova Scotians depend on it, particularly in rural areas. I hope this is a wake-up call for the minister and for the government.”
NDP health critic Dave Wilson has called Health minister Glavine’s explanations about closure "a cop-out."
“Nova Scotians depend on the availability of emergency rooms around this province, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a holiday or vacation time; the government has to have a plan to replace those health-care providers," Wilson told the Chronicle Herald three weeks ago.
Wilson, a former health minister, said the government has been focused on merging the district health authorities at the expense of dealing with front-line health-care issues.
He said certain areas in particular are seeing major increases in closure times and something needs to be done to address the problem.
“Nova Scotians depend on it, particularly in rural areas. I hope this is a wake-up call for the minister and for the government.”
