The president of the Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union says, on the whole, she’s happy with the provincial budget.
The Tories tabled the largest budget in our province’s history this week.
It includes $5.7 billion, 45 percent of the total budget, in the healthcare spending. That’s an increase of about $413 million from last year.
NSNU President Janet Hazelton says it’s huge.
“I think it’s very encouraging to see this investment in our healthcare system.”
Hazelton says she’s very excited by the plan to add 200 new nursing seats at universities across the province: 28 more at Cape Breton University, 26 more at Dalhousie University, 26 more at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, and 120 more practical nursing seats at Nova Scotia Community College.
She says there is one area of concern for her.
The province is spending $25 million to increase direct care by Continuing Care Assistants to at least 4.1 hours per resident in long term care homes, but is only increasing direct care by nurses to 1.1.
Hazelton says nursing staff is required to support CCAs.
“When you increase one, you know, you need to correspondingly increase the other classifications.”
CCAs also received a 23 per cent raise this year, at a cost of $66 million.
The province has also committed to add 500 more new long-term care beds at 27 facilities across the province.
