N.S. Tory leader would boost funding for cancer care program, cut health districts
Posted Jul 18, 2013 02:20:41 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
HALIFAX – Progressive Conservative Leader Jamie Baillie says he wants to boost funding for low-income cancer patients who need help getting to appointments in Nova Scotia.
Baillie says if elected, a Tory government would increase funding to the program that helps cover the costs of board, transportation and ostomy to $400,000, an increase of $100,000.
Baillie says the Conservatives would also make the program available to more people by increasing the income cut-off point that’s used to determine who qualifies for financial assistance under the program.
The Conservatives are promising to increase the annual family income limit for the program to $25,000 from $15,720, a figure that Baillie says hasn’t changed in 20 years.
He says $100,000 in funding from the program went unused last year because not enough people qualified.
The NDP is in the last year of its mandate in Nova Scotia.
The PC’s also say they would cut the number of district health authorities to three from 10 if they form the province’s next government.
Under the Conservative model, the capital district would retain its board and the I-W-K Children’s Hospital in Halifax would remain an independent operation, while there would be a new health board created for rural Nova Scotia.
Conservative Leader Jamie Baillie estimates the plan would save 60 million dollars.
The Opposition Liberals have already said they would trim the number of health boards to two.
The governing N-D-P has been critical of proposals to cut the number of district health authorities.
The Conservative proposal on health authorities was part of an announcement today to boost funding for low-income cancer patients who need help getting to appointments.
Baillie says his party would be able to pump more money into frontline health services by cutting spending in health administration.
