Some hospital wait times 'too long', says Leo Glavine

Nova Scotia Health Minister Leo Glavine admits some people are waiting too long for care in the province.

Last week, a group called the Canadian Wait Time Alliance called for the creation of a Patients' Charter of Rights which would guarantee timely access to care.

Glavine admits that's something Nova Scotians want.   

“People want timely care and our wait times, in several areas, are currently too long. You know, I'm here advocating for Nova Scotia patients that we can do better,” he said in an interview with CBC’s Information morning radio program.

Glavine says he's particularly concerned about how long people have to wait for orthopedic surgery or to have cataracts removed.

Nova Scotians currently wait an average of two years to get a new hip or knee.

Earlier this year, the province pledged $4.2 million to pay for another 600 or 700 procedures a year in order to cut down on wait times for hip and knee surgeries.

He says with an aging population those are areas that will need improvement.

Glavine also told Information Morning he wants to see fewer union locals but he says he's not opposed to keeping the four unions that represent health workers in the province.

He says too much time is spent negotiating new contracts that, in some cases, take years to resolve.

“You know, 215 separate contracts in healthcare is inordinately time-consuming, very costly, I believe it leads to these long protracted negotiations,” said Glavine.