Post-op care concerns attendees at meeting

SUTHERLANDS RIVER - The care given to discharged patients at Aberdeen Hospital was called into question at a public consultation meeting held at Frank H. MacDonald School in Sutherlands River Tuesday.
Those at the Pictou County Health Authority's 2020 meeting said while the care they were given as patients was satisfactory, they said the care they received after they were discharged was lacking. "There wasn't the follow-up (after surgery) I would have appreciated," said one woman.
One man suggested the health authority conduct follow-up surveys or phone calls with discharged patients on the service and professional conduct at the hospital. Other recommendations included suggestions to improve the physical layout of the waiting room at the ER and to improve parking, perhaps by building a multi-level parking garage.
Clarrie MacKinnon, MLA for Pictou East, expressed concern about the growing number of people waiting for long-term care beds to open up at the hospital.
He also said health authorities in the province should work together rather than compete against one another to recruit doctors.
Murray Hill, chair of the Pictou County Health Authority, responded, saying the health authorities in the province are not in competition.
"Our competition (with recruiting) is not in Nova Scotia but in Alberta and Ontario."
Tuesday's event was the fourth, and final public consultation session to be hosted by the authority. Anyone who could not attend a meeting can provide their input either by calling 1-888-657-8585 or by e-mailing their ideas to healthy2020@pcha.nshealth.ca.