Pugwash community group fights for new hospital

A community group fighting for a new health-care facility in Pugwash says the aging North Cumberland Memorial Hospital needs to be replaced.

The 50-year-old building has a litany of problems, according to Peter Lewis,co-chair of the an ad hoccommittee pushing for a new health-care facility to be built in the village.

He said the current hospital is a split-level building with no elevator, no ambulance bay, no central air conditioning system, and no wheelchair accessible washrooms.

"Any one of these issues might be solvable with modifications, but in totality it's difficult to continue with the current facility," Lewis told CBC Radio's Information Morning.

The hospital serves the communities of Pugwash, Wallace, Wentworth, Port Howe, and Oxford, he said.

History of disappointment

Community members have been lobbying for a new hospital for more than 10 years, but Lewis said all thework hasn't amounted to much.

"We've had a number of announcements from the current government and the previous government, but none have come to fruition," he said. "It's gotten as far asa conceptual drawings and architectural drawings, but we've had a number of postponements and delays."

Lewis said the Nova Scotia Health Authority has recommended to the province's Treasury Boardthat the hospital project not go ahead in the coming fiscal year.

He said thedecision could hurt the area more than the health authority understands.

"If a new health-care provider graduating from Dal or some other medical institution wishes to practise, they're going to look for the best place and our facility is old so it's not as attractive as neighbouring areas," said Lewis.

In astatement, the Nova Scotia Health Authority said no money will be allotted to build a new hospital in the upcoming year, but money has been set aside to plan for a new facility.

It said planning isnecessaryto make sure a new facility meets the demands of the population in the area.

The health authorityalso saidit will meet with local leadership in Pugwash as it begins planning for the new building.

There's no timeline for when constructioncould begin.