The Nova Scotia Health Authority says it is delaying the construction of a new health care facility in Pugwash, N.S., among “numerous others”.
Health authority spokesperson Everton McLean said he couldn’t release the full list of delayed projects, but confirmed the Pugwash hospital is on hold, after a local group told Global News the same thing.
RELATED: Plan for future of Victoria General Hospital in Halifax coming soon
The committee advocating for a new health-care facility says the 1960s-era building lacks fully accessible washrooms, central air conditioning, and an elevator — meaning patients can only access one floor of the two-storey building.
“It is time for a replacement,” Peter Lewis, committee co-chair, said.
In 2011, the NDP government said a new hospital would be built. Then, in 2013 the new Liberal government said it would go ahead with the project. It’s still in the province’s 2015 capital plan, but no ground was broken in 2015.
The health authority and province seem to be at odds, with a health department spokesperson saying there are no plans to “change direction” on the project. However, the health authority confirmed the facility isn’t on its list of capital projects for next year.
“The infrastructure needs are many and the cost is much more than is manageable or responsible to Nova Scotia taxpayers over the near term,” McLean said in an emailed statement.
Interim NDP Leader Maureen MacDonald says she remembers being “shocked” at the state of the building when she first saw it. However, MacDonald says Pugwash isn’t the only area facing delays in health care projects.
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For example, she says Shelburne’s hospital is also facing problems. “It’s not one thing that’s on hold, many things are on hold,” she said.
The urgency of replacing the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax is overshadowing the needs of health care facilities in rural areas, said Progressive Conservative Health Critic Chris d’Entremont.
Digby and Parrsboro both need updated health care facillities d’Entremont said. “Those can’t be ignored while we look at what’s happening here at the VG.”
“The V.G. is a problem but it can’t be done at the expense of others,” he said.
The health authority says there’s no “direct link” between issues at the Victoria General Hospital and project delays in Pugwash, but Lewis says his group didn’t get a clear explanation for the delay.
“What the community is concerned about is how many delays will there be,” Lewis said. “We’re disappointed but we’re keeping a positive view.”
Health Minister Leo Glavine was unavailable for an interview.
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