Health care already cut to the core: Forward

Says province needs to invest in the system to save money in the future

With the provinces finance officials ready to operate on the provincial deficit and with everythingon the table, one area that cannot sustain another fat-reduction surgery is the health-care system, says Registered Nurses Union president Debbie Forward.

Photo by Rhonda Hayward/The Telegram

Registered Nurses Union president Debbie Forward says theres no more room to cut in the health-care system.

After cutbacks in 2012, Forward said Tuesday, theres no more room to cut.

The system is working to the max, and people are working to the max, and Im hopeful they are not going to look (at health-care cuts). Health is a significant piece of the budget, but thats because health is an essential service and we need people to deliver health care.

Its not machines delivering it, its people physicians, registered nurses, other care providers, other allied health professionals, managers. All of those people are important to making sure the system functions as it should.

The provincial government is holding pre-budget consultations in the province. Oil prices have dropped sharply, the provincial debt is rising and Finance Minister Ross Wiseman has said there will likely be five more years of budget deficits before the government can return to a surplus budget.

Wiseman is asking people for suggestions about how the government can reduce the provincial deficit by either tax increases or cuts, or a combination of both, or by making government departments and agencies more efficient.

Forward says when it comes to the health-care system, the best way to save money is to invest in initiatives now that will save money in the future.

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Health care already cut to the core: Forward

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