The province robbed Peter to pay Paul $400,000 for mental health nurses in Island schools by taking money from funding designated by the federal government for mental health.
A survey shows the number of Islanders without a doctor has increased by 11 per cent. This means people have to use emergency departments in island hospitals. There is a problem, medical staff determine who goes first. The Prince County Hospital determining who goes first is turning residents into second-class citizens by having some people have immediate medical attention and have other people wait for hours.
This practice creates a problem. Some of these patients smoke and go in and out of emergency to feed their addiction. The Prince County Hospital doesn't segregate smokers from nonsmokers thereby subjecting nonsmokers to the smoke from smokers. I demand all Island hospitals provide separate rooms and don't allow smokers to sit in the general waiting. If Island hospitals refuse, I want inspectors to visit all Island hospitals and close down all emergency departments. I also want inspectors to inspect health clinics and walk-in clinics and if none of these clinics segregate smokers from nonsmokers then close the clinics down across P.E.I. The province can pull $300,000 out of its hat to pay for literacy, the province can pull whatever funding it needs to segregate smokers from nonsmokers in Island hospitals.
John W.A. Curtis,
Summerside
