Progressive Conservative leader Dennis King made the first move of the 2023 Prince Edward Island provincial election Tuesday morning, meeting with supporters and others in Summerside where he promised a re-elected Tory government would spend more on health-care innovation.
That includes adding physician assistants and nurse practitioners to emergency rooms, as well as patient support staff in ERs, and improving ambulance offload times and non-urgent transfers.
“We can’t continue to have this fantasy that we’re going to attract ‘x’ number, and if we could only attract ‘x’ number of doctors we’ll be able to do this, that, and the other thing,” said King.
The P.C. leader also announced free tuition for paramedics who spend two years working on P.E.I., and recruitment incentives for paramedics.
King has come under fire for his previous targeted health-care bonuses, most recently a small protest outside his nomination meeting Monday night.
The early health-care promise didn’t surprise opposition parties. The Liberals, under Sharon Cameron, already announced health-care reform would be the core of their election strategy.
Both the Liberals and Greens are set to make their own health-care campaign announcements Wednesday.
“I’m not impressed that four years after Dennis King came to power he’s just now recognizing that health care is in crisis, and trying to cobble together some sort of -- I wouldn’t even justify it by using the word ‘plan,’” said Peter Bevan-Baker, P.E.I. Green Party leader.
Bevan-Baker said he expects his party will field a full slate of candidates, one in every riding.
