Chester Gillan, Minister of Health today announced in the legislature that the Island’s Health System will greatly benefit from the recently announced spring budget. Chester Gillan noted numerous initiatives underway to enhance healthcare services across the province.
The Health operating budget for the year 2006-2007 is almost 344 million dollars, a six percent increase over last year.
The Health Department received 2.2 million dollars to bring in a fourth Orthopedic Surgeon to PEI. The Department of Health was successful in recruiting an individual to fill this role, which commences this summer. Funding covers the physician’s payments and additional support services for the QEH including nursing, equipment and other support services. The budget included an additional $200,000 for equipment purchases at the PCH related to the introduction of the fourth orthopedic surgeon.
Minister Gillan noted that, “The addition of the fourth orthopedic surgeon will have a positive impact on wait times and will result in Islanders having greater access to this service within the province.”
The Department is also looking at community development programs so that communities can work with government to recruit and retain physicians. Additional marketing and promotion initiatives are also underway to attract physicians into the province. Numerous initiatives are being considered in an enhanced physician recruitment and retention program. One aspect under consideration is to look at more rotations for medical residents on PEI. Additional resources will also be allocated to physician recruitment once the strategy has been finalized.
Our government has provided funding for three additional physicians. One physician will be added to West Prince and two additional family physicians are being added to the Charlottetown area.
In the budget, the Nursing Recruitment and Retention Program received $913,000. As part of the effort, there will be support for the Bachelor of Nursing summer employment program and sponsorship of third and fourth year nursing students.
The Healthcare Futures summer student employment program was also reinstated.
The Minister focused on the completion of the first phase of the planning process for the redevelopment of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The Master Program/Master Plan was completed in March, 2006 and submitted to Government. The next steps will require Government approval to conduct a Functional Program and detailed Functional Plan followed by architectural design work.
In the Spring budget, the project was allotted an additional $300,000 capital allotment to carry out the functional plan phase of the project which will lay out the higher level detail for architectural design and eventual construction of the enhancements to the QEH Facility. The capital budget indicated there will be a five million dollar capital funding commitment to the QEH each year over four years beginning in the fiscal year 2007/2008.
Radiation Oncology services received $275,000 to increase the staffing complement at the Cancer Treatment Centre to meet client demand in this area of service. “This budget commitment will provide greater access to radiation oncology services thereby further reducing wait times,” noted Minister Gillan.
In West Prince, Government made a commitment to begin a dialogue with communities and stakeholders in West Prince on a single health-care facility. Approximately $300,000 was allotted to the consultation and planning efforts associated with this project.
The first step in this process is to carry out a consultation with public, partners and stakeholders of Western Hospital and Community Hospital in O’leary to determine views and perspectives on the concept of a single, new, acute care hospital, centrally located in West Prince. Citizens, communities, staff, physicians, volunteers, as well as hospital boards, foundations and auxiliaries will have an opportunity to participate.
A Project Committee was struck to direct the consultation process and to provide a report on findings to government. Consultations will occur during the Spring of 2006.
The increases in this spring’s health care budget indicates government’s ongoing commitment to continued improvements to the Island’s health care health system.