Government Approves Emergency Funding for Capital Equipment

Emergency funding has been approved for two new ultrasound machines at St. Martha's Hospital in Antigonish.

Government will pay for 75 per cent of the cost of the new machines, which should be in use within six weeks.

"We know it's important for patients in the Antigonish area to have access to timely ultrasounds," said Health and Wellness Minister Leo Glavine. "This request went through a rigorous scoring process and our emergency funding committee agreed that it must go ahead."

The Department of Health and Wellness has invested $530,000 in three emergency requests for capital medical equipment this fiscal year. South West Health received funding for five patient monitors that track the heart rate, blood pressure and other vital signs of patients coming out of surgery. The IWK Health Centre received funding for a plasmapheresis machine, which filters the blood and inserts healthy plasma.

Every year, government saves some of its capital equipment funding for emergency requests. An emergency funding committee at the Department of Health and Wellness meets monthly to put each application through a strict scoring process. This ensures the funds go to the most urgently needed equipment.

The total budget for capital equipment this year is $18 million.