New Brunswick’s Liberal leader says rural hospitals would stay open and no emergency room services would be eliminated if he is elected.
Kevin Vickers made the promise during a campaign stop outside of the Sussex Health Centre on Tuesday morning.
“Within 30 days of a Liberal government, we will direct the health authorities that we are not closing hospitals or eliminating or reducing emergency room services. That definitely will not be part of our plan,” Vickers told a small crowd of supporters.
Sussex was one of six communities which would have seen their ERs close overnight as part of a series of health reforms announced by the Progressive Conservatives in February.
The controversial plan was scrapped several days later after outrage from across the province and the resignation of deputy premier Robert Gauvin.
Gauvin, who left the PCs and is now running for the Liberals, joined Vickers in Sussex for Tuesday’s announcement.
Vickers said New Brunswickers should be “very leery” about what a PC government would do to health care if re-elected.
“Blaine Higgs believed very much in the plan to close emergency rooms and you can be certain this plan will be revived if he is given a second chance,” he said.
But Higgs maintains he will not close any ERs if re-elected, saying he heard constituents when they rejected his party’s previous attempt.
The plan would also have seen 120 acute-care beds at the six hospitals turned into long-term chronic care beds, which Vickers said would have been the equivalent of turning those facilities into “de facto nursing homes.”
The Liberal leader was asked by reporters what he would do if the regional health authorities still want to push ahead with the reforms.
“I’ve been very clear the direction that we are giving, and if people are in disagreement with my direction, well then they’ll have a career choice to make,” said Vickers.
Vickers went on to say that a Liberal government would focus on improving health services in the province.
“We will look at things like expanding digital health services, developing a long-term, achievable plan to address our resource needs in health care and wellness,” he said, adding his government would work with communities, medical professionals and experts.
Our newsroom asked Vickers what he would do to help address the province’s ongoing nursing shortage. He said the Liberals would provide incentives to attract nurses and invest at the University of New Brunswick to train more of them.
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