HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s government is considering private health-care options but remains committed to strengthening the public system, Premier Tim Houston said Wednesday.
Any private option would be integrated within the public system, Houston told reporters after a cabinet meeting.
“We’re committed to strengthening the public system for sure,” Houston said. “I’m not interested in Nova Scotians using their credit card to pay for health care.”
Nova Scotia’s health system — similar to the health systems across Canada — is under significant stress due to labour shortages, which are leading to cutbacks in services and intermittent closures of emergency rooms. Houston promised during last summer’s election campaign to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in his first year in office to address the problems.
The premier wasn’t specific about private options but said…
