Today in the House of Assembly, the Official Opposition brought forward a Private Members’ Resolution (PMR) urging the Conservative Government to commit to a new, modern provincial hospital after recently cancelling the planned development of new hospital infrastructure to replace St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital.
St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital officially opened in 1922, more than a century ago, and was not designed to meet the demands of modern acute care delivery.
Following February’s frequent winter storms, St. Clare’s was featured in local and national news after patients at the hospital spoke out about the cold temperatures in their rooms. Photos circulated online and in the media showing blankets placed against windows, and patients reported sleeping in their winter coats.
In a November 2022 statement, the Department of Health said: “The age of the six buildings that comprise St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital and the associated numerous repair and/or replacement items suggest that the site is not appropriate for major redevelopment. These factors, plus the inefficiencies of the antiquated floor plan layouts in providing present-day medical services, along with the confined perimeters, make it challenging to provide present-day health-care services at the site.”
This Conservative Government has failed to provide the public with any analysis of the cost to renovate St. Clare’s or explain how investing further in this inadequate, 100-year-old building demonstrates long-term planning and “spending smarter.”
“Our government recognized the declining condition of the century-old hospital years ago and announced it would be replaced. New and modern infrastructure would not only provide a safe and accessible hospital for patients, but also create a better working environment for our valued health-care professionals and help with recruitment and retention. Cancelling plans to modernize our health-care system is short-sighted,” says Lisa Dempster, Opposition Critic for Health.
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