The previous Liberal government announced an expansion to the emergency department at the Yarmouth Regional Hospital in 2020, but the Houston Conservatives have stalled the construction.

 

The emergency department, which services Yarmouth, Digby and Shelburne counties, is regularly at 125 per cent capacity or higher and wait times exceed 10 to 12 hours for patients. Renovations to accommodate the growing caseload are needed, but residents in the area don’t even have a timeline from the government to know when the project will move forward.

 

“A new emergency department at the Yarmouth Regional Hospital is desperately needed to address capacity and privacy issues for both healthcare providers and patients,” said Opposition Leader and Yarmouth MLA, Zach Churchill. “The design and planning work for the ER expansion is complete yet the government has no timeline for when construction will begin. Residents in southwest Nova Scotia are being overlooked by this government.”

 

Despite pledging to fix healthcare, the Houston Conservatives are failing to address one of the most obvious symptoms of the healthcare crisis - overcapacity emergency departments. The expansion of the Halifax Infirmary, the heart of the QEII redevelopment project, also has yet to break ground and is already over budget.

 

“The Yarmouth Regional Hospital serves thousands of Nova Scotians in the tri-counties and is currently bursting at the seams,” said Churchill. “If the premier plans to double the population, work to address overcrowded emergency rooms needs to start immediately.”