Currie meets with MLAs to discuss health care
Says patient safety is top priority
CBC News
Posted: Aug 14, 2012 7:52 PM AT
Last Updated: Aug 14, 2012 8:16 PM AT
Doug Currie met with MLAs in West Prince to talk about health care on Tuesday. (CBC)
Minister of Health and Wellness Doug Currie met with the MLAs this afternoon in West Prince to talk about health care services in the area.
Hundreds of people took part in a rally in Alberton last night over concerns about an erosion of services.
A physician shortage this month means all 911 emergency ambulance calls in western P.E.I. are being diverted to Summerside. The O'Leary walk-in clinic is only open for 10 days in August.
Currie said patient safety has to be the number one priority.
“I wanted to have a conversation with all the western MLAs that are impacted by the interruptions in health care delivery. Is there potential opportunities for other types of health care providers to come in and to provide those services?" he said.
"Obviously that would have to be in consultation with Island EMS in respect to the role of paramedics. That would be in consultation with Health PEI to look at the role of nurse practitioners.”
Currie also said the province's immediate focus is to ensure there are enough phyicians.
Share Tools
Latest Prince Edward Island News Headlines
- Conservative MP remains tight-lipped on Duffy scandal
- Revenue Minister and P.E.I. Conservative MP Gail Shea isn't offering an opinion on whether Senator Mike Duffy should resign in light of the unraveling expenses controversy. more »
- RBC Cup adds $2M to Summerside’s coffers
- Organizers of the Junior A National Hockey Championships in Summerside, P.E.I. are tallying up the economic impact of the week-long tournament. more »
- Victoria Day name-change petition stokes controversy
- A new petition to change Victoria Day to "Victoria and First Peoples' Day" has many Canadians thinking about what this day really means to us. more »
- Man dies in off-road vehicle crash near St. Patricks
- Police say a 39-year-old man died in an off-road vehicle rollover near St. Patricks, P.E.I. on Sunday. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- 51 dead after tornado levels Oklahoma suburbs
- A monstrous tornado almost a kilometre wide roared through Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighbourhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds up to 322 km/h. At least 51 people were killed, and officials said the death toll was expected to rise. more »
- NDP wants RCMP inquiry into $90K payment to Duffy
- The NDP has asked the RCMP to launch an investigation into the $90,000 payment from the prime minister's former top aide, Nigel Wright, to Senator Mike Duffy in relation to the Senate expense scandal. more »
- Will alleged Rob Ford video overshadow Toronto casino debate?
- A debate about a proposed downtown casino is supposed to take centre stage at Toronto City Hall on Tuesday, but it seems a safe bet that a still-unseen video of Mayor Rob Ford will continue to be a topic of conversation. more »
- Canadian on EI shut out amid foreign worker influx
- A jobless Canadian IT professional who is collecting employment insurance is upset because he now suspects several recent jobs he applied for went to temporary foreign workers. more »
- Baseball fuels dreams, desperation in Dominican Republic
- The Toronto Blue Jays have a number of stars from the Dominican Republic, but in the shadow of these successful players is an equally important story about hope and poverty, and a country desperately struggling to balance the two. more »
- RBC Cup adds $2M to Summerside’s coffers
- Conservative MP remains tight-lipped on Duffy scandal
- Alberton fishermen face lobster quota
- Man dies in off-road vehicle crash near St. Patricks
- P.E.I. marked low on foreign worker treatment
- NDP wants RCMP inquiry into $90K payment to Duffy
- Medical marijuana changes worry P.E.I. woman
- Police find bodies of 2 missing New Brunswick fishermen
- Can the Senate fire a senator?
