“Today we learned of the very tragic passing of a patient waiting to receive medical attention in the Emergency Room at the Doctor Everett Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton. We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends involved in this sad situation.

Unfortunately, given the incompetence of the Higgs government and in particular the Minister of Health in addressing the dire crisis in health care in this province, this terrible outcome was a very real possibility. Time and time again, we have demanded to see the Minister’s plan to recruit desperately needed health care professionals. And ours is not a unique voice: professional health care associations like the Medical Society and the Nurses Association have demanded action, citizens are pleading for help and all we hear from this government are platitudes and excuses for missed deadlines. The province must immediately free up enough of its huge surpluses to address the staffing issues in our hospitals.

Premier Higgs needs to stop whining to the federal government, demand that his Minister of Health resign and get on with saving our health care system before it’s too late.”

Jean-Claude D’Amours

Critic for Health